# A very short but sweet Sci Fi story **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** books-writing-myths\ **Created:** [May 2, 2024, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-very-short-but-sweet-sci-fi-story/1001062 "2024-05-02T10:58:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2024, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-very-short-but-sweet-sci-fi-story/1001062/1 "2024-05-02T10:58:19Z")
Takes only a few minutes to read but I enjoyed this: > **[Italic & Bold](https://www.heartlines-spec.com/italic-bold-by-dan-peacock/)** > > Italic & Bold by Dan Peacock ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2024, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-very-short-but-sweet-sci-fi-story/1001062/2 "2024-05-02T11:02:00Z")
A powerful and emotional story. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2024, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-very-short-but-sweet-sci-fi-story/1001062/3 "2024-05-02T11:35:19Z")
Agreed. Glad I read it. Thanks for sharing. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2024, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-very-short-but-sweet-sci-fi-story/1001062/4 "2024-05-02T12:59:18Z")
Nice, I enjoyed that as well. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2024, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-very-short-but-sweet-sci-fi-story/1001062/5 "2024-05-02T13:23:52Z")
Ocean being soup was new to me. It…is kind of a very large, cold, poisoned soup. ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2024, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-very-short-but-sweet-sci-fi-story/1001062/6 "2024-05-02T13:43:12Z")
That was terrific. Such world building and character development in such a short space. Thanks for sharing. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2024, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-very-short-but-sweet-sci-fi-story/1001062/7 "2024-05-02T13:56:55Z")
That was cute. And sad. But cute. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2024, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-very-short-but-sweet-sci-fi-story/1001062/8 "2024-05-02T14:08:25Z")
I like it! ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2024, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-very-short-but-sweet-sci-fi-story/1001062/9 "2024-05-02T21:49:44Z")
Very nice. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2024, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-very-short-but-sweet-sci-fi-story/1001062/10 "2024-05-02T22:04:34Z")
Solar cells do not charge. Batteries charge, and solar cells produce the power to charge the batteries, but the solar cells themselves do not charge. Anyway, I liked the Bold and Italic names, and how they were referenced in the text, and how they are also a nod to the relative physical build of the robots. As for the deep philosophical questions, I reference the cube rule: > **[The Cube Rule](https://cuberule.com/)** > > Identify your food based on the location of structural starch. Is a hot dog a sandwich? No, it's clearly a taco. Hot dogs are tacos, as Italic suggested initially. ---
**Author:** ![Kedikat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed655f/32.png) [@Kedikat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kedikat)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2024, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-very-short-but-sweet-sci-fi-story/1001062/11 "2024-05-03T06:01:46Z")
Very nice one. Compact but filled with features. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2024, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-very-short-but-sweet-sci-fi-story/1001062/12 "2024-05-03T06:25:36Z")
Lovely. I envy the author’s writing skills. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2024, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-very-short-but-sweet-sci-fi-story/1001062/13 "2024-05-03T07:05:28Z")
Very nice. Felt like it was perhaps set in the same universe as _Who Can Replace a Man?_ by Brian Aldiss (and I like it for the same reasons). ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2024, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-very-short-but-sweet-sci-fi-story/1001062/14 "2024-05-03T07:09:41Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > Solar cells do not charge. Batteries charge, and solar cells produce the power to charge the batteries, but the solar cells themselves do not charge. It’s SF, set in a future where the ‘solar wing cells’ of the robots can do whatever the author says they can. I read it as meaning that the charging and storage was integrated within the same components. That’s not how solar cells and batteries generally work in today’s world, but this is not today’s world. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2024, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-very-short-but-sweet-sci-fi-story/1001062/15 "2024-05-03T07:21:10Z")
Thanks for that. I rarely use this adjective to describe anything other than candy or a dessert, but it is indeed sweet. Thanks for posting the link. And I’m definitely going to think about what I’m eating the next time I have a hot dog. ---
**Author:** ![themapleleaf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/themapleleaf/32/14349_2.png) [@themapleleaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/themapleleaf)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2024, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-very-short-but-sweet-sci-fi-story/1001062/16 "2024-05-03T08:45:01Z")
Cute. BTW, cereal is not a soup as I understand the term, as it is not cooked. But is a hot dog a sandwich? That’s a question for the ages. ---
**Author:** ![scareyfaerie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scareyfaerie/32/3135_2.png) [@scareyfaerie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scareyfaerie)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2024, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-very-short-but-sweet-sci-fi-story/1001062/17 "2024-05-03T08:48:31Z")
That was a great story, thanks for sharing. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2024, 9:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-very-short-but-sweet-sci-fi-story/1001062/18 "2024-05-03T09:40:45Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > It’s SF, set in a future where the ‘solar wing cells’ of the robots can do whatever the author says they can. Maybe, but the robots are said to have both solar cells and batteries, and although it’s the future, stuff seems to basically work the way we expect it to, aside from the weird description about charging. No matter. I enjoyed the story anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2024, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-very-short-but-sweet-sci-fi-story/1001062/19 "2024-05-03T10:58:21Z")
Given that they question the meaning of things like sandwichs and soups, perhaps they were not clear about the definition of batteries. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2024, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-very-short-but-sweet-sci-fi-story/1001062/20 "2024-05-03T11:22:36Z")
> [@themapleleaf](#): > > Cute. BTW, cereal is not a soup as I understand the term, as it is not cooked. Are all cold soups cooked? I’m thinking of a Korean ice-cold soup and I am not sure if it is first cooked or not. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-very-short-but-sweet-sci-fi-story/1001062.md?page=2)