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Figure 1a. Summer Surge. ~200,000 page views per day for wikifiction.
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Eight months ago I had a blog post called
C3 👁 in which I took note of the fact that after 15 years the
wikifiction blog had surpassed 1,000,000 page views. Five years ago, in a blog post called
500k Pageviews, I showed
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Figure 2. Free Gemini options.
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that there have been some times in the past when this blog got an unusually large number of page views then returned to a more normal level of traffic. There was even a time I recall when some of the unusually large number of page views being reported by Google analytics were eventually retroactively "erased" or rescinded.
Something changed on August 4th 2025 and in just the past ten days there have been almost 2,000,000 new page views (see Figure 1a).
Update. Towards the end of August, after about three weeks, the increased traffic to this blog ended as suddenly as it had begun (see
Figure 1b). Lately, there have been major changes made to various types of Google software such as
Whisk and
Gemini. For example, see the 2.5 Pro option shown in
Figure 2.
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Figure 3. Whisk entry page as viewed by Firefox.
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Figure 4. Whisk entry page 2.0
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Google tea leaves. I have no idea what has caused this sudden unprecedented increase in
wikifiction blog traffic. I have begun to wonder if one of the Large Language Models, possibly
Gemini, has recently been given the opportunity to crawl through Blogger blogs. Lately, there have been almost daily changes to the Gemini user interface.
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Gemini user options as of August 14th. Inset:
the "+" button options for file uploads to Gemin are shown.
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One of the most interesting recent changes to the free version of Gemini was the availability of "2.5 Pro" (see
Figure 2). When using this "reasoning" option, Gemini can check its "raw output" against the content of websites, in real time.
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| Image upload menu. |
Whisk Evolution. Back in April, I blogged about
Whisk Animate. More recently, there have been changes to the Whisk user interface. Now, when I launch Whisk, my Firefox browser loads a page that fails to correctly display its embedded Whisk Animate videos (see
Figure 3). At the location of each video there are flashed brief views of parts of the videos and large regions of black.
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click again
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If I then scroll down the page, then the Whisk Animate video examples fall into a new pattern and the videos play correctly on the webpage (see
Figure 4). I usually just click on the "enter tool" button and then I see the actual Whisk user interface as is shown below in
Figure 5.
As part of Jimmy the Intern's never ending quest to make an annoying user interface, the options for providing Whisk with reference images have all be hidden in the current Whisk user interface. However, if you know to click on the little arrow button, then a menu opens with the image upload options (see the image that is shown to the right.
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upload image button
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Click again, sucker. Of course, opening that menu does not allow you to upload a reference image. You have to also
click again on a hidden button. And even then, the user is only provided with yet another mysterious icon on yet another button. If the user somehow knows to hover over
that button then they finally get to see the
upload image button.
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Figure 5. Google's Jimmy the Intern™ is the king of user interface white space and hidden user options.
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A car named Stacy.
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Shown in
Figure 6 (below) is the Gemini user interface in all of its white space glory. I asked Gemini to make an illustration for the science fiction story "
The Metamorph Intervention". Gemini continues to sometimes display one image in the user interface while allowing you to download a
different (but similar) image.
Also, Gemini is currently being quite stupid about the text that it inserts into images (see the image to the right), In this case, adding a title and an author that I did not request as well as labeling the woman in the image with her name.
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Figure 6. The Gemini user interface. Please sir, I want more white space.
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The PDF
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Speaking of stupidity. I had been experimenting with a style of science fiction story-writing collaboration in which I was allowing
Claude and Gemini to take turns drafting chapters of the story. However, I was so disappointed with Gemini's (the default 2.5 Flash) performance in drafting Chapter 5 of the story (shown
here) that I also gave Claude a chance to make a version of Chapter 5.
In all fairness, I decided to give the "2.5 Pro" Gemini option a try on exactly the same task (see below on this page). I provided Gemini 2.5 Pro with a PDF that had: 1) some backstory information, 2) the full text of Chapters 1 - 4 of "The Metamorph Intervention" and my suggestions for what plot elements should be in Chapter 5 of the story...
Me: Plans for Chapter 5. Collaborating with Marda, Ovidius crafts a
science fiction version of the Daedalus flight/wings story that is
both 1) destined to be wildly popular as a play (with actors sailing
across the stage on wings) but also 2) offensive to conservative
religious authorities (by depicting a god as being a space alien). In
this new science fiction story about Daedalus, Daedalus is taken to
the spaceship of the pek Overseer, which continuously hovers high
over the Aegean. Daedalus learns about the conflict between the pek
and the bumpha over the fate of Earth. Daedalus learns about hang
gliders and builds one using pek nanites. Daedalus jumps out of the
pek spaceship and sails back home.
Gemini, process the file that I just uploaded and then discuss
with me our additional plans for crafting Chapter 5 of the science
fiction story "The Metamorph Intervention". My intention is
that the Gemini LLM will generate a first draft of Chapter 5 of the
story. However, Gemini, first share with me any questions or
suggestions that you have about the story.
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Ovidius: first contact with Manny the bumpha.
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Gemini:
Commencing Analysis of Text
I've initiated a thorough analysis of
the provided text, focusing on the first four chapters of "The
Metamorph Intervention." I'm carefully examining the backstory,
character details, and the plans laid out for future chapters,
particularly Chapter 5. This will help me gain a comprehensive
understanding.
Delving Deeper into Plot
I've further analyzed the text,
concentrating on the interplay of backstory, character development,
and future plot directions. I'm noting the intricacies of
world-building, paying close attention to elements like bumpha, pek,
Sed ron Domain, and zeptites. I'm also synthesizing the author's
intended themes, especially those related to free will and
technological transcendence.
Unpacking Chapter 5 Details
I'm now focusing on the specific "Plans
for Chapter 5," dissecting the seven key elements meticulously.
My attention is centered on fleshing out the interplay between Ovid
and Marda, the mechanics of the Daedalus story within the story, and
the intricacies of the pek's technological offering to Daedalus. I'm
building a framework to formulate pertinent questions and suggestions
for the user, ensuring clarity and enriching the narrative.
Synthesizing Chapter Five Strategy
I'm now fully immersed in the "Plans
for Chapter 5," dissecting the seven key elements meticulously
to create a strategic outline. I'm focusing on crafting specific
questions for the user to clarify areas such as the religious
authorities and their impact, Ovid's emotional state as he partners
with Marda, and the technical details of the pek nanites. I'm also
considering the balance between detail and summarization in the
Daedalus story, as well as Marda's active role. This will provide a
solid framework for refining the chapter plan.
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A subject provided to Whisk.
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Of course. I have processed the file
containing the first four chapters of "The Metamorph
Intervention" and the detailed backstory and plans. This is a
fascinating and complex science fiction narrative, weaving together
advanced concepts like time travel, artificial life, and the nature
of consciousness with a compelling historical setting. I particularly
appreciate the detailed exploration of the bumpha-pek philosophical
conflict and Marda's struggle with agency, which aligns with your
interests in technologically assisted telepathy and the implications
of advanced AI.
Before I proceed to generate a first
draft of Chapter 5, I have some questions and suggestions to ensure
the chapter aligns perfectly with your vision. This will help us
collaboratively refine the direction of the story.
Questions for Clarification:
Ovid's "Madness" and
Motivation: In the backstory, you mention the idea that Ovidius might
develop a "madness" from his experiences with Manny and
Marda. In Chapter 5, as he writes this revolutionary and potentially
blasphemous Daedalus story, how should this "madness"
manifest? Is it a frenzied, prophetic inspiration that makes him a
more brilliant writer? Or is it a paranoid obsession that isolates
him from his peers even as his work becomes popular? Understanding
his mental and emotional state will be key to portraying his
collaboration with Marda.
The "Conservative Religious
Authorities": Who, specifically, are these authorities in
Augustan Rome? Are we talking about the established state priesthood
(the Pontifical College), traditionalist senators who see this new
mythology as a threat to Roman values (mos maiorum), or perhaps
followers of a specific mystery cult? Defining the opposition will
help shape the nature of the conflict and the risks Ovidius and Marda
are taking.
The Pek's Role in Daedalus's Story: The
plan states Daedalus learns about the pek-bumpha conflict and uses
pek nanites to build a hang glider. How does this happen?
Do the pek intentionally educate
Daedalus, perhaps seeing him as a potential pawn against the bumpha's
plans? This would seem to violate their own rules about
non-interference.
Or does Daedalus cleverly trick the
pek or steal the nanites? This would portray him as exceptionally
resourceful.
Does the pek Overseer, Kenth,
appear in Ovid's story-within-a-story as himself or as a traditional
god?
Marda and Korinna's Internal Dynamic:
Now that Marda's femtozoan is dominant, how does the original Korinna
femtozoan interact with her during this intense creative process? You
noted Korinna could be "endlessly nagging Marda from within".
Is Korinna a helpful creative consultant, a worried voice of caution
about Roman societal norms, or a resentful prisoner who occasionally
sabotages Marda's efforts?
Suggestions for Your Consideration:
The Play's Staging: To make the
play wildly popular, we could emphasize the spectacle. You mention
"actors sailing across the stage on wings." We could
describe how Ovidius, with Marda's futuristic insights, devises
unprecedented stagecraft—using sophisticated counterweights and
rigging to create a truly magical effect of flight that captivates
the Roman audience and makes the play a must-see event.
Parallel Themes: The story Daedalus
learns aboard the pek ship could directly mirror Marda's own dilemma.
Daedalus is presented with two paths for humanity: the pek's offer of
managed, safe transcendence and the bumpha's path of risky,
self-directed biological evolution among the stars. Daedalus's choice
to escape and return to Earth with a new technology (the hang glider)
would serve as a powerful mythological endorsement of the bumpha's
philosophy, which is exactly what Manny wants to instill in Roman
culture.
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Whisk wants Romans to have
better technology for writing.
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Augustus's Reaction: Emperor Augustus
was a religious conservative and social reformer who exiled Ovid in
the original timeline. This new, provocative work could bring Ovid to
the Emperor's attention far sooner. We could introduce a scene where
Augustus hears of the play. Is he intrigued by its popularity or
angered by its subversive theology? This would raise the stakes for
Marda and Ovid considerably, tying their personal story directly to
the highest levels of Roman power.
I believe that discussing these points
will allow me to draft a Chapter 5 that is not only faithful to your
detailed plan but also rich with the thematic depth and character
dynamics you've already established. I look forward to your thoughts.
Me: Gemini, you asked about the idea that Ovidius might develop a "madness" from his experiences with Manny and Marda and you asked if this "madness" manifests either as a frenzied, prophetic inspiration that makes him a more brilliant writer or as a paranoid obsession that isolates him from his peers even as his work becomes popular. When an artist is creating works that are truly revolutionary, other people who observe the artist might be forced to view what is happening as a wonderful kind of "madness" that has been inflicted upon the inspired artist. In the case of Ovidius, I imagine that he cannot stop himself from speaking to other Romans about the FACT that he has been "abducted by aliens" and taken into outer space to see the inside of the alien spacecraft Many Sails. It could then become MADDENING for Ovidius that he has no physical evidence to prove that he has had personal contact with space aliens nor can he provide evidence to support his belief that his wife "changed" and now has knowledge from the future. Rather than continue to rant at his friends about space aliens in an effort to get them to believe the truth, Ovidus would learn to be satisfied by the act of creating his "science fiction stories", calling them fiction even if those stories include actual factual information about the pek and bumpha. The other Romans will only be able to understand what Ovidius writes about the bumpha and the pek as being science fiction.
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Romans who compute.
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Gemini, you asked about the "Conservative Religious
Authorities": are they the established state priesthood
(the Pontifical College), traditionalist senators who see this new
mythology as a threat to Roman values (mos maiorum), or perhaps
followers of a specific mystery cult? I know nothing about actual Roman culture. One of my main motivations for collaborating with a Large Language Model to write "The Metamorph Intervention" is my hope that a LLM can provide some details about Ovid and ancient Rome that will not be viewed as silly or offensive by people who actually know something about these topics.
Gemini, you asked about my plan for Chapter 5 which includes Ovidius crafting a science fiction story in which Daedalus learns about the pek-bumpha conflict and uses
pek nanites to build a hang glider. I imagine that Ovidius will combine plot elements derived from two experiences that he and Marda have had: 1) Ovid's memories of his visit to Many Sails and 2) the what Marda shares with Ovidius about the time when Kenth appeared inside the headquarters of the Metamorph project to chastise Manny the bumpha. The science fiction story about Daedalus could begin with Manny providing Daedalus with information that helps him invent new things. Then Kenth the Overseer of Earth could "abduct" Daedalus and take him to Observer Base and tell Daedalus that he has been used as Manny's tool which has resulted in violations of the Rules of Observation. Daedalus begins to live at Observer Base, a place near Earth where other humans have been taken in the past. I imagine that there could be a mixed population of Neanderthals, Denisovans, Prelands, Anatomically Modern Humans and various human hybrids living inside Observer Base where they have access to some advanced nanotechnolgy. While living inside Observer Base, Ovidius could learn to use clothing nanites (that generate clothing), food nanites (that automatically bring nutrients to residents of Observer Base) and information nanites (that carry useful information and knowledge into a person's zeptite endosymbiont), facilitating human learning and understanding of alien technology. Ovidus could learn how to program nanites and use nanites to make a hang glider. In the story, Observer Base would be depicted as a spaceship that is positioned high above the Aegean. Ovidus jumps out of the spaceship and uses the hang glider to sail back to Athens.
Gemini: Thank you for that detailed and
insightful clarification. Your answers provide a fantastic blueprint
for moving forward. I now have a much clearer picture of Ovid's
psychological state, the nature of the societal conflict, and the
specific mechanics of the story-within-a-story. The idea of Ovid's
"madness" being a rational frustration that he channels
into creative genius is particularly compelling.
Based on your guidance, I can
confidently proceed. I will portray the "Conservative Religious
Authorities" as a combination of the traditional state
priesthood and influential senators who champion mos maiorum. Their opposition will stem from the story's challenge to
the established divine order—depicting gods not as transcendent
beings to be worshiped, but as physical, fallible aliens from other
worlds, which they would view as a grave impiety that threatens Roman
stability.
I will craft the internal dynamic
between Marda and the Korinna femtozoan as a seamless, productive
partnership. Korinna will be Marda's indispensable guide
to Roman culture and Ovid's creative temperament, offering advice and
insights that allow Marda to help shape the Daedalus story without
anachronistic missteps.
The Daedalus story itself will be the
centerpiece, written as you've outlined: a mythic retelling of Ovid's
own experiences with Manny and Kenth, transposing them onto the
Daedalus character. This structure allows Ovid to embed
the factual truths of his encounters into a format that Roman society
can digest, even if only as fiction.
I am now ready to generate a first
draft of Chapter 5. I will synthesize all these elements to create a
chapter that shows Ovid's maddening frustration, his brilliant
creative partnership with Marda/Korinna, the crafting of the
revolutionary Daedalus play, and the initial tremors of the
conservative backlash it is destined to create.
Here is a first draft of Chapter 5:
A Mythology for the
Future
The weeks following Manny’s
visitation became a crucible for Ovidius. He was a man possessed, but
not by a divine muse in the way his fellow poets claimed. He was
possessed by a truth so vast and unbelievable that it had shattered
the comfortable confines of his reality. He tried, at first, to speak
of it plainly.
"She was here," he’d told
his friend, the poet Propertius, his eyes wide with fervor. "A goddess, yes, but not from Olympus. From the
stars! She showed us her vessel, a ship that sails the void between
worlds."
Propertius had simply clapped him on
the shoulder, a pitying smile on his face. "Publius, my friend,
your imagination has finally consumed you. Save such brilliant
madness for your verses. It will make you immortal."
The condescension was maddening. Every Roman he spoke to had the same reaction.
They saw his frantic conviction not as a factual account, but as the
raw material for a new kind of poetry. His wife, Korinna—the new
Korinna—was the only one who understood. She was his anchor, the
only other witness to the impossible. The change in her
was undeniable; she now possessed a depth of knowledge about history,
politics, and human nature that was simply astonishing.
But that, too, was a truth he could prove to no one. The
frustration became a constant, simmering fire in his gut, a pressure
that had only one outlet: his writing.
"If they will only accept it as a
story," he said to Marda one evening, pacing their small atrium
under the watchful eye of the household gods, "then we will give
them a story that changes the very way they think about the gods."
He’s ready, whispered Korinna’s
femtozoan from the quiet depths of Marda’s shared mind. He has
found the path. Guide him gently.
Marda, feeling more at home in
Korinna’s body each day, placed a calming hand on his arm.
"Exactly. We won't try to convince them of our truth. We will
wrap it in a myth they already know. We will reshape it."
And so they began to craft the new
Daedalus. Marda drew upon her memory of Kenth's stark
arrival at the Metamorph facility, describing the severe,
obsidian-carved figure of the pek Overseer. Ovidius, in turn, wove in the cosmic awe he’d felt
aboard Manny’s ship, Many Sails. The story
they outlined was a radical departure from the traditional tale.
In their version, Daedalus
is not merely a brilliant inventor; he is a man touched by a
"goddess" from the stars named Minerva (Manny's chosen
Roman persona), who shares with him whispers of advanced
knowledge. This attracts the attention of a rival god, a
stern and unforgiving being named Custos (the Watcher), who sees this
interference as a violation of cosmic law. Custos
"abducts" Daedalus, taking him not to a prison on Crete,
but to a vast, hovering citadel high above the Aegean—a place
called the ‘Observatory’.
"He needs to see the
inhabitants of this place", Marda suggested, relaying the details of
the Prelands and the other human variants she had learned about.
Ovidius’s stylus flew across the wax
tablet. He described the Observatory as a world unto itself,
populated by strange and ancient forms of humanity—burly,
strong-boned folk with heavy brows and silent, gentle people with an
unsettling calm, all living together under the Watcher's stern gaze.
Here, Daedalus learns the purpose of the Observatory: to protect the
world below from the dangerous ambitions of its own children.
In the story, Daedalus is given access
to the Watcher's technology. Ovidius wrote with feverish intensity,
describing technologies Marda had only hinted at. Nanites became
"fabricator mites"—tiny, invisible servants that wove
clothing from thin air and synthesized food directly into a nutrient
paste. Daedalus, the ultimate craftsman, learns to command them. He
studies the principles of aerodynamics not from birds, but from
information mites that flow directly into his mind, granting him an
intuitive understanding of lift and drag.
Korinna, is the language right? Is
this too much for them to believe, even as fiction? Marda projected
internally.
No, it’s perfect, Korinna’s
essence replied. He frames it as divine magic, but describes it with
the precision of an engineer. It is both myth and manual. The
audience will be captivated.
The climax of their story was
Daedalus's escape. Using the fabricator mites, he doesn't build wings
of feather and wax. He weaves a massive, winged cloak from spun
diamond fiber, a structure of stunning lightness and strength. He
builds a hang glider. In the final scene, he leaps from the
Observatory's edge, not as a desperate father fleeing a king, but as
a defiant mortal who has stolen knowledge from the gods, sailing
silently down through the clouds to return to the world of men.
When Ovidius read the completed draft
to a small group of actors, they were silent, stunned. It was
blasphemous, thrilling, and utterly original.
"To stage this..." the lead
actor breathed, "the spectacle of the flight alone would fill
the theatre for a year."
The first performance was a sensation.
The theatre was packed. When the actor playing Daedalus, suspended by
a clever system of ropes and counterweights Marda had helped design,
soared across the stage on his magnificent wings, the audience gasped
as one. But as the play's philosophical implications settled in, a
different murmur began. In the shadows of the portico, a stern-faced
senator named Cato Secundus stood with two members of the Pontifical
College.
"This is not art," one of the
priests said, his voice tight with disapproval. "It
is poison. He portrays the divine as mere travelers from the Moon,
fallible and factional. He strips them of their
majesty, their mystery."
Cato nodded grimly. "It is a
corruption of the mos maiorum. It encourages men to look to the
stars for answers instead of to the gods of Rome. It is a dangerous
fantasy, and Ovidius is a dangerous man."
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Ovidious triumphant: image by Gemini.
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Up in the stands, Ovidius heard the
roar of the crowd, a sound of pure adoration. He squeezed Marda’s
hand, a triumphant, manic glint in his eyes. For the first time, his
madness felt not like a curse, but like a glorious, terrible weapon.
He had their attention now. He was satisfied, for the moment, that
his fiction was being heard, unaware that the story he had just begun
to tell would soon have very real and very powerful enemies.
___End Chapter 5______
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| Figure 7. |
At this point, I got the message shown in
Figure 7.
Next: Which of the AI-generated versions of Chapter 5 is best?
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