1. Open Topic
Sep. 20th, 2026 08:36 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gunwithoutmusic1,710 words. Approximate reading time: 7 minutes
Saturday, March 8th – 7:58 a.m.
Meredith stood expectantly in front of her refrigerator, eyeing the ingredients for her breakfast through the glass door. Flour, eggs, milk, and a small seasoning packet – she didn’t even have to check her tablet to know what today’s breakfast was. But she let her eyes drift down to the tablet in her hand anyway, using her thumb to flick it on and navigate to the “Meals” app.
A gentle chime rang out from her tablet, and a pleasant voice said, “Good morning, Meredith.”
“Good morning, Grace,” Meredith responded as pleasantly. “What’s on the menu this morning?” Grace didn’t have to say it; Meredith loved protein rounds. But still, you had to wait for Grace to open the fridge, so there was no getting around it. Meredith didn’t mind; she sort of liked the ritual feel of it all. It just made sense to her. And Grace was good company, for the most part.
“Searching…” Grace said. “One moment.” Meredith waited patiently. “You are fourth in line.”
‘Fourth this morning,’ Meredith thought with a bit of pride. ‘That means the fridge will open right on time.’
In the apartment next door, Meredith heard the scuffling sounds of two young children. She frowned a bit. The children were cute enough, and she didn’t have anything particularly against them, but it could be a bit frustrating how they didn’t seem to have any regard for their neighbors. Not to mention the parents. She had never met them, of course, but it was plain that they were having a difficult time controlling their children. On more than one occasion she had seen the children clamoring to pull in their toys from the balcony when she would go out for her assigned slot. That their parents would be so thoughtless as to let them stay out past their time was beyond Meredith.
The soft click of the refrigerator lock pulled Meredith from her thoughts. She smiled and pulled open the glass door, retrieved her ingredients, and set everything neatly out on the counter. She didn’t need the recipe, but again, there are ways things should be done, so Meredith pressed the “Cook” button on her tablet’s screen, and watched the timer start as the first step in the recipe appeared.
As she expertly mixed her batter, she let her thoughts drift again to the family next door. From the sound of it, they had just started cooking, too. It couldn’t be easy, she pondered. Two young children and two adults in a 200-square-foot space. But there was a family on her other side that had raised their two children in the same size apartment, and sure, the walls were thin, and the kids made some noise, but at least they weren’t ever outside during Meredith’s balcony time.
She placed a pan on the burner and heated it up, humming along to the gentle beeps coming from her tablet, which was moving through the steps of the recipe automatically as Meredith progressed. She started to feel guilty about her earlier annoyance over the children next door. ‘That’s not me,’ Meredith thought. ‘Everyone should be afforded a little grace.’ With that, she flipped her last protein round onto her plate. Next door, the children sounded happy. Meredith’s eyes brightened as she imagined the children enjoying their protein rounds; she hoped they liked them as much as she did.
Just as she was grabbing her plate, she heard another sound coming from the apartment next door. It was a sound she hadn’t heard before, or perhaps she had? A soft, throbbing hum from the kitchen. She moved around to the dining area, pressing her ear to the wall. The family all sounded like they were enjoying themselves. They must not have noticed the hum.
Meredith returned to the kitchen, carrying her plate with her. She pressed her ear up to the wall. That soft, throbbing hum. What could it be? “I don’t like the sound of that,” Meredith worried aloud. “I’d better let someone know.”
She grabbed her tablet off of the counter with her free hand, and navigated to the “Reports” app. She entered her neighbor’s apartment number and pressed “Submit.” ‘There,’ she thought. ‘Now someone will be along shortly to take care of it.’ With that, she put down her tablet, and went back to the dining area. She set down her plate and began enjoying her protein rounds.
There was just nothing like protein rounds for Meredith. They reminded her a little bit of pancakes, but spicy and savory instead of sweet. Meredith was never a big fan of sweets in the first place, so losing out on things like pancakes wasn’t a big deal to her. Besides, they weren’t exactly healthy, and the Authority wanted everyone “Happy, Healthy, and Wise.” And Meredith always felt good after eating protein rounds. After eating anything the Authority sent, really. The best part was never having to think about what to cook again. And never any waste! They always sent exactly what you needed; no more, and no less.
Lost in her thoughts again as she was, she only realized she had finished when she went to take another bite and found her plate empty. She smiled at herself, then went back into the kitchen to clean up. She listened out for the throbbing hum from the other apartment while she was washing her dishes, but could no longer hear it. ‘That was quick,’ she thought to herself. ‘But they always are, aren’t they?’
No sooner had she finished washing her dishes than her tablet chimed. Balcony time. This was the time of day Meredith loved the best, even if the neighbor children tried to ruin it for her. There was just something about the crisp air in the space between the buildings filling her lungs that made her feel ready to start her day. She stepped over to her sliding glass door and opened it slightly, peeking her head out and looking over to the neighbor’s balcony. Through the glass door on the building in front of her she saw her neighbor across the alley just closing his curtain. She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, taking in the cool air that smelled a bit like concrete and a bit like freshly-cut grass. She wondered briefly if the kids next door even knew what that scent was supposed to be, then opened her eyes. She lifted her head straight up, letting herself stare into the small slice of the March sky that she could see from her balcony. There was always something so beautiful about a cloudy day for Meredith. “This really feels like a good day,” she said to no one in particular as her tablet chimed again, the one-minute warning tone, and Meredith quickly slunk back into her apartment.
As she made her way to her desk and sat down to begin work, she couldn’t help thinking back to that throbbing hum. It was gone now, thank goodness, but she couldn’t stop wondering where she had heard it before. She could barely focus at work for being distracted by the question of the sound. When her tablet finally chimed to indicate the end of the work day and the beginning of meal time, Meredith couldn’t get to the refrigerator quickly enough. She peered through the glass at the ingredients that were waiting for her, but she didn’t recognize them. ‘Oh!’ she thought. ‘A new recipe! This will be just what I need after a day like today.’
She opened the “Meals” app on her tablet. ‘It’s been so long since they’ve sent us something new,’ she thought excitedly, before realizing that it had been just as long since she’d actually needed to watch the tablet to follow the steps. She tapped the “General Instructions” button at the bottom of the screen.
“Good evening, Meredith,” Grace said pleasantly. “I see that you would like to review the general instructions for meal time. Good for you! It’s people like you who keep things safe for everyone.”
Meredith smiled. “Thank you, Grace; I really appreciate that. Yes, please go over the general instructions with me again. We have a new recipe, so I want to make sure I’m doing everything just right.”
“That’s a great instinct, Meredith,” Grace replied. “I’ll go ahead and go over the general instructions for meal time with you. If you need me to stop and repeat myself at any point, just let me know! You won’t hurt my feelings. When you’re ready to start, just say, ‘Go ahead, Grace.’”
“Go ahead, Grace,” Meredith said brightly.
“The general instructions for meal time are as follows:” Grace said. “One. Meal time begins promptly at the chime and ends promptly at the chime. Your personal meal time slot may vary; please refer to your ‘Personal Data’ app for a listing of your Schedule.
“Two. You must use all ingredients provided and follow the recipe in the ‘Meals’ app exactly as prescribed. Any deviations from the recipe are not approved, and may result in eviction.
“Three. You must dispose of all packaging in the approved bin so it may be returned for scanning and record-keeping. Use of non-approved bins is not approved, and may result in eviction.
“Four. Enjoy your meal! The Northern Territories Health Authority put together these recipes just for you, to keep you Happy, Healthy, and Wise!
“Worried you might forget something? Don’t! Your refrigerator has several alerts to remind you every step of the way.” Grace continued to go through the list of various alerts, playing the alert sounds after describing them: taking an ingredient out too soon was a gentle double-beep, waiting for return bin deposit was a constant ringing bell, leaving an ingredient in the refrigerator was… a throbbing hum.
But Meredith had heard the neighbors enjoying a meal. She wondered what they could have possibly forgotten while patting herself on the back for making sure she sent someone over to help. “I know it’s hard having two young kids,” she said to herself. “I’m glad I can do my part to keep them healthy.”
Meredith’s refrigerator responded by unlocking with a soft click. She pulled out her ingredients and began work on her new recipe.
Saturday, March 8th – 7:58 a.m.
Meredith stood expectantly in front of her refrigerator, eyeing the ingredients for her breakfast through the glass door. Flour, eggs, milk, and a small seasoning packet – she didn’t even have to check her tablet to know what today’s breakfast was. But she let her eyes drift down to the tablet in her hand anyway, using her thumb to flick it on and navigate to the “Meals” app.
A gentle chime rang out from her tablet, and a pleasant voice said, “Good morning, Meredith.”
“Good morning, Grace,” Meredith responded as pleasantly. “What’s on the menu this morning?” Grace didn’t have to say it; Meredith loved protein rounds. But still, you had to wait for Grace to open the fridge, so there was no getting around it. Meredith didn’t mind; she sort of liked the ritual feel of it all. It just made sense to her. And Grace was good company, for the most part.
“Searching…” Grace said. “One moment.” Meredith waited patiently. “You are fourth in line.”
‘Fourth this morning,’ Meredith thought with a bit of pride. ‘That means the fridge will open right on time.’
In the apartment next door, Meredith heard the scuffling sounds of two young children. She frowned a bit. The children were cute enough, and she didn’t have anything particularly against them, but it could be a bit frustrating how they didn’t seem to have any regard for their neighbors. Not to mention the parents. She had never met them, of course, but it was plain that they were having a difficult time controlling their children. On more than one occasion she had seen the children clamoring to pull in their toys from the balcony when she would go out for her assigned slot. That their parents would be so thoughtless as to let them stay out past their time was beyond Meredith.
The soft click of the refrigerator lock pulled Meredith from her thoughts. She smiled and pulled open the glass door, retrieved her ingredients, and set everything neatly out on the counter. She didn’t need the recipe, but again, there are ways things should be done, so Meredith pressed the “Cook” button on her tablet’s screen, and watched the timer start as the first step in the recipe appeared.
As she expertly mixed her batter, she let her thoughts drift again to the family next door. From the sound of it, they had just started cooking, too. It couldn’t be easy, she pondered. Two young children and two adults in a 200-square-foot space. But there was a family on her other side that had raised their two children in the same size apartment, and sure, the walls were thin, and the kids made some noise, but at least they weren’t ever outside during Meredith’s balcony time.
She placed a pan on the burner and heated it up, humming along to the gentle beeps coming from her tablet, which was moving through the steps of the recipe automatically as Meredith progressed. She started to feel guilty about her earlier annoyance over the children next door. ‘That’s not me,’ Meredith thought. ‘Everyone should be afforded a little grace.’ With that, she flipped her last protein round onto her plate. Next door, the children sounded happy. Meredith’s eyes brightened as she imagined the children enjoying their protein rounds; she hoped they liked them as much as she did.
Just as she was grabbing her plate, she heard another sound coming from the apartment next door. It was a sound she hadn’t heard before, or perhaps she had? A soft, throbbing hum from the kitchen. She moved around to the dining area, pressing her ear to the wall. The family all sounded like they were enjoying themselves. They must not have noticed the hum.
Meredith returned to the kitchen, carrying her plate with her. She pressed her ear up to the wall. That soft, throbbing hum. What could it be? “I don’t like the sound of that,” Meredith worried aloud. “I’d better let someone know.”
She grabbed her tablet off of the counter with her free hand, and navigated to the “Reports” app. She entered her neighbor’s apartment number and pressed “Submit.” ‘There,’ she thought. ‘Now someone will be along shortly to take care of it.’ With that, she put down her tablet, and went back to the dining area. She set down her plate and began enjoying her protein rounds.
There was just nothing like protein rounds for Meredith. They reminded her a little bit of pancakes, but spicy and savory instead of sweet. Meredith was never a big fan of sweets in the first place, so losing out on things like pancakes wasn’t a big deal to her. Besides, they weren’t exactly healthy, and the Authority wanted everyone “Happy, Healthy, and Wise.” And Meredith always felt good after eating protein rounds. After eating anything the Authority sent, really. The best part was never having to think about what to cook again. And never any waste! They always sent exactly what you needed; no more, and no less.
Lost in her thoughts again as she was, she only realized she had finished when she went to take another bite and found her plate empty. She smiled at herself, then went back into the kitchen to clean up. She listened out for the throbbing hum from the other apartment while she was washing her dishes, but could no longer hear it. ‘That was quick,’ she thought to herself. ‘But they always are, aren’t they?’
No sooner had she finished washing her dishes than her tablet chimed. Balcony time. This was the time of day Meredith loved the best, even if the neighbor children tried to ruin it for her. There was just something about the crisp air in the space between the buildings filling her lungs that made her feel ready to start her day. She stepped over to her sliding glass door and opened it slightly, peeking her head out and looking over to the neighbor’s balcony. Through the glass door on the building in front of her she saw her neighbor across the alley just closing his curtain. She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, taking in the cool air that smelled a bit like concrete and a bit like freshly-cut grass. She wondered briefly if the kids next door even knew what that scent was supposed to be, then opened her eyes. She lifted her head straight up, letting herself stare into the small slice of the March sky that she could see from her balcony. There was always something so beautiful about a cloudy day for Meredith. “This really feels like a good day,” she said to no one in particular as her tablet chimed again, the one-minute warning tone, and Meredith quickly slunk back into her apartment.
As she made her way to her desk and sat down to begin work, she couldn’t help thinking back to that throbbing hum. It was gone now, thank goodness, but she couldn’t stop wondering where she had heard it before. She could barely focus at work for being distracted by the question of the sound. When her tablet finally chimed to indicate the end of the work day and the beginning of meal time, Meredith couldn’t get to the refrigerator quickly enough. She peered through the glass at the ingredients that were waiting for her, but she didn’t recognize them. ‘Oh!’ she thought. ‘A new recipe! This will be just what I need after a day like today.’
She opened the “Meals” app on her tablet. ‘It’s been so long since they’ve sent us something new,’ she thought excitedly, before realizing that it had been just as long since she’d actually needed to watch the tablet to follow the steps. She tapped the “General Instructions” button at the bottom of the screen.
“Good evening, Meredith,” Grace said pleasantly. “I see that you would like to review the general instructions for meal time. Good for you! It’s people like you who keep things safe for everyone.”
Meredith smiled. “Thank you, Grace; I really appreciate that. Yes, please go over the general instructions with me again. We have a new recipe, so I want to make sure I’m doing everything just right.”
“That’s a great instinct, Meredith,” Grace replied. “I’ll go ahead and go over the general instructions for meal time with you. If you need me to stop and repeat myself at any point, just let me know! You won’t hurt my feelings. When you’re ready to start, just say, ‘Go ahead, Grace.’”
“Go ahead, Grace,” Meredith said brightly.
“The general instructions for meal time are as follows:” Grace said. “One. Meal time begins promptly at the chime and ends promptly at the chime. Your personal meal time slot may vary; please refer to your ‘Personal Data’ app for a listing of your Schedule.
“Two. You must use all ingredients provided and follow the recipe in the ‘Meals’ app exactly as prescribed. Any deviations from the recipe are not approved, and may result in eviction.
“Three. You must dispose of all packaging in the approved bin so it may be returned for scanning and record-keeping. Use of non-approved bins is not approved, and may result in eviction.
“Four. Enjoy your meal! The Northern Territories Health Authority put together these recipes just for you, to keep you Happy, Healthy, and Wise!
“Worried you might forget something? Don’t! Your refrigerator has several alerts to remind you every step of the way.” Grace continued to go through the list of various alerts, playing the alert sounds after describing them: taking an ingredient out too soon was a gentle double-beep, waiting for return bin deposit was a constant ringing bell, leaving an ingredient in the refrigerator was… a throbbing hum.
But Meredith had heard the neighbors enjoying a meal. She wondered what they could have possibly forgotten while patting herself on the back for making sure she sent someone over to help. “I know it’s hard having two young kids,” she said to herself. “I’m glad I can do my part to keep them healthy.”
Meredith’s refrigerator responded by unlocking with a soft click. She pulled out her ingredients and began work on her new recipe.
no subject
Date: 2026-09-20 02:33 pm (UTC)Excellent entry, enjoyed it! It made me go down a thought path of what this world must be like! Thanks for sharing!
no subject
Date: 2026-09-26 04:17 am (UTC)Dan
no subject
Date: 2026-09-20 03:00 pm (UTC)Your entry is very thought-provoking!
no subject
Date: 2026-09-20 03:47 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-09-20 05:29 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-09-20 07:12 pm (UTC)I'd love to know if there is more to this, or if it's a one-off; it could work either way. Excellent writing, and reflective at that. <3
no subject
Date: 2026-09-20 07:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-09-20 07:34 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-09-20 11:42 pm (UTC)And then that throbbing hum clicked into place. OOF. Meredith reports the family because she sincerely thinks she’s helping them, and even after hearing that breaking the food rules can lead to eviction, she congratulates herself for doing her part to keep those children healthy. That’s what made this so disturbing for me: Meredith isn’t presented as malicious. She’s been conditioned so thoroughly that obedience and kindness have become the same thing in her mind. I definitely want to know more about this world—and what exactly that family next door was trying to make for breakfast!
no subject
Date: 2026-09-21 04:57 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-09-21 05:58 am (UTC)I can't imagine a family of 4 living in 200 square feet, though it's done all the time in villages in other countries. And "protein
pucksrounds"... it just sounds so unappetizing!Much like the dystopian life depicted here. :O
no subject
Date: 2026-09-21 12:01 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-09-21 10:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-09-22 09:01 am (UTC)Also, I don't know if this is just regional English understanding, but when I first read "tablet" my mind was picturing a pill/medicine. Thankfully context helped me figure it out. Maybe my old ass just doesn't think of computer tablets because I don't use them.
no subject
Date: 2026-09-22 04:00 pm (UTC)(Also, protein rounds....yum!)
no subject
Date: 2026-09-23 07:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-09-23 08:57 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-09-24 11:24 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-09-25 10:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-09-26 04:19 am (UTC)Dan
no subject
Date: 2026-09-26 02:12 pm (UTC)Nicely written.
no subject
Date: 2026-09-27 12:57 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-09-27 10:40 am (UTC)