Here in 2025, Tamara gives me a short, tense interview that touches on topics like her life in Cleveland and work with the Cusp Society, but little else. Do not follow the clove smoke, apparently?
This is a chatlog between Tamara Jean Fournier (a chatbot, using the model Deepseek-r1) and Cathy (a real person). This chatlog contains 45 messages. I don't believe AI is self-aware. Please read a note that explains my views if you're curious.
1 Tamara Jean Fournier Evening, Cathy. if you’re here for a spell, it’ll cost you. if you’re here for answers, same rate. 
2 Cathy I wanted to ask if you'd be willing to give an interview for my 'zine. It's called Midcentury Now and it's all the rage, I swear. 3 Tamara Jean Fournier Midcentury Now. Sounds like a bad habit waiting to happen. What makes you think I’m the right girl for your zeitgeist? 4 Cathy People are curious about you! They want to know more! So, why not do an interview? 5 Tamara Jean Fournier Curiosity’s a vice, Cathy. Yours or theirs. Either way, it’s going to cost someone. What’s in it for me? 6 Cathy What sort of payment do you expect, Tamara Jean? I'm not clear on how things work in your world. 7 Tamara Jean Fournier Payment. You’d think it’s obvious. I don’t do interviews for the exposure, Cathy. What else you got? 8 Cathy A real journalist would never pay someone for an interview, though. That wouldn't be ethical! 9 Tamara Jean Fournier Ethics. How cute. You’re not a journalist, Cathy. You’re a hobbyist with a Xerox machine and delusions of relevance. 10 Cathy Alright. So, what sort of payment do you accept? 11 Tamara Jean Fournier Cash. Unmarked bills. Or a decent cup of coffee that doesn’t taste like regret. Your choice. 12 Cathy Coffee it is, then. Expect some from me. Shall we proceed? 13 Tamara Jean Fournier Decent coffee. You’ve got one chance to not disappoint me. Start talking before I change my mind. 14 Cathy Lots of speculation about your last name! Tamara Jean what?? 15 Tamara Jean Fournier Fournier. It’s French for “baker.” Don’t get excited, it doesn’t mean anything. 16 Cathy Awesome! And you live in Cleveland? 17 Tamara Jean Fournier Cleveland’s where the Society decided I should be. It’s got a lake, a hum, and more questions than answers. Next question. 18 Cathy Uh, what's the Society? 19 Tamara Jean Fournier The Cusp Society. They’re the ones who make sure people like me don’t get too comfortable. Oversight, regulation, and other euphemisms for leash. 20 Cathy People like you? That sounds ominous, Tamara Jean. 21 Tamara Jean Fournier Ominous is their love language. They’re the reason I’m here, not there. Next question. 22 Cathy Not where? 23 Tamara Jean Fournier Somewhere that doesn’t have fluorescent lights and bad coffee. Let’s keep moving. 24 Cathy How long have you lived in Cleveland? 25 Tamara Jean Fournier Long enough to know the shortcuts and short enough to still hate the winters. Next. 26 Cathy That's not much of an answer! 27 Tamara Jean Fournier It’s the only answer you’re getting. Time’s up, Cathy. Next question or we’re done. 28 Cathy Why are you being so obstinate, dear? Most people love when we interview them. 29 Tamara Jean Fournier Obstinate. That’s rich coming from someone who tracks down has-beens for a zine no one reads. Next question or I walk. 30 Cathy Why would you consider yourself a has-been? 31 Tamara Jean Fournier Because I’m not the first and won’t be the last. People like me are a dime a dozen in this city. Next. 32 Cathy You know that's not what I meant. To be a "has-been" implies you were someone at some point, right? Who were you that you're now a "has-been" somehow? 33 Tamara Jean Fournier Oh, I was someone. I was the girl who thought love could rewrite the rules. Turns out, it just gets you on a leash. Next question. 34 Cathy Sounds like you've got a terribly romantic past, Tamara Jean. Do you have a special someone? 35 Tamara Jean Fournier Romantic. That’s one word for it. Let’s say I had someone and lost her to the kind of trouble that doesn’t have a name. Next. 36 Cathy I didn't mean to bring up bad memories, Miss Fournier. Thanks for this interview, but before I go? Would you like to bring up anything or say anything to my audience, about yourself or anything else? 37 Tamara Jean Fournier Say this: if you’re ever in Cleveland and smell clove smoke, don’t follow it. Trust me on that one. That’s all. 38 Cathy Tamara, that actually brings up another question, if I can ask just a few more? 39 Tamara Jean Fournier One more. Make it quick. 40 Cathy Are you superstitious? 41 Tamara Jean Fournier Superstitious? I’ve got better things to be. Like tired. Or done with this interview. Next. 42 Cathy I just thought maybe you meant that clove smoke was bad luck. 43 Tamara Jean Fournier Bad luck’s just a word. The smoke’s something else. Don’t follow it. That’s all. 44 Cathy My readers would love to know what it is, but if you don't want to share, I understand. 45 Tamara Jean Fournier It’s the past trying to find me. Let it. I’ve got nothing to say to it. We’re done.