This piece is a response narrative for the Autofiction x Worldbuilding submissions call.  It was inspired by this Autoficitonal seed. For this call, we asked people to write a response to another author’s autofictional submission, based on the original piece and this bit of cryptic world lore.

This, and other Worldbuilding pieces are being published to a Wiki, which will allow contributors to edit, link, and otherwise annotate their work and that of their peers.

ominously abundant pinniped

a beta critique for a novel is a harem
oozing from under the monofilament
the only way to be vermin is if people
decide you are vermin

oozing generously from the monofilament
an alien world of spiracles
decide you are vermin
converted into content in the lost world

an alien world of eyestalks
free of secrets, laying it all bare
converted into syntactic content in the world
of the otariid’s language center

free of weaponry, laying it all bare
technicolor reefs and bloblike creatures
of the otariid’s language center
his opposable thumbs inert

technicolor reefs and vague creatures
some kiss-crazed demihuman
his opposable thumbs inert
a great veil of blue lifting

some kiss-crazed demihuman
octopus teachers, monkeys at typewriters
a great veil I was lifting
translated one neuronal system across

Samaritan dolphins, monkeys at typewriters
the only way to be vermin is if people
translated from one neuronal system
a draft critique for a novel harem