ᴬᵁᴰᴵᴼ ¦ un: ☉

[ancestor]

Hello, I am Azem, the Traveler.

[ Her voice is soft and lilting; melodic in a way not entirely dissimilar to the otherworldly song of whales, and accented by something distinctly... British? ]

The ship is painfully small so I imagine I've likely encountered most of you in passing by now. I'm the woman who wears the mask. It's, um, a cultural thing. My people have always— We wear masks all of the time in public spaces. And communal robes. But those are impractical for mobility and I never liked them anyway, so that's... irrelevant now, I suppose.

[ She has never been particularly skilled at public speaking, but the cold distance and the disconnect from her soul when using the network makes communicating especially challenging... ]

Introductions aside, I would just like to establish that while technically I was the unwitting catalyst to the "economic crash", it was not my fault that the "economy" was so fragile! If creating a few homes and "money" for use of "utilities" is enough to collapse the "economy" then it must'nt've been a very good one.

So, ah, technically you could say I did them a favour, because now they can make a new and better "economy" where everybody has the things they need.

[ Right? Right??? That's totally how these things work! ]

Comments

[ancestor]

I don't understand. The homes I made are for those who had none. They now have adequate shelter.

[albatrossomen]

A noble effort, but not one that will work as intended. As stated, those who own the property upon which those homes now exist decide who lives in them, and at what cost, not the builder.

In these types of economies shelter is rarely, if ever, distributed in a manner one might consider reasonable or fair. In fact it is quite likely that the issue was never adequate housing to begin with.

[ancestor]

I don't understand.

There was space available, unsuited for agricultural or geological use. They had need of homes. If housing is not the issue why would they been homeless? If the resources were already there then they should have had shelter long ago.

[albatrossomen]

I think this is when Jack would chime in to say "because capitalism." And, ultimately, that is the cause.

Necessities have been monetized, without money one is not eligible for necessities. When too much money floods the market the value of it drops, and one still cannot afford housing.

It's a no win situation.

[ancestor]

'Capitalism'?

What is the point of 'monetizing'? Necessities should have no cost. How does society benefit if they cannot acquire what they need? It makes no sense.

[albatrossomen]

A simple answer? Greed. For a more complex answer you might be better served asking one who better understands such structures. Like you I find them perplexing, unnecessary, and absurd. I simply have some knowledge on how they work, but not the details on why they are clung to.

[ancestor]

My home and my people were far from perfect... But if this is what humanity has become... I am ashamed to call myself human.

[albatrossomen]

All is not lost for them, but they have fallen far from grace. I await the day they remember themselves.

[ancestor]

They are not what my people sacrificed themselves to save.

[albatrossomen]

To be fair, most of these were never your people. These are vastly different universes.

[ancestor]

None of them have ever been my people. It is an insult to compare these barely-formed souls filled with greed and violence to my kin.

And vastly different universes means nothing when they are clearly all connected.

[albatrossomen]

Mm.

[Righteous and insufferable, he grows weary of this conversation.]

I am not particularly interested in discussing your moral indignation. Merely pointing out that your actions have not only failed to have the desired effect, but instead quite the opposite. You would do well to act with more discretion in the future.

[ancestor]

Perhaps I would. Mayhap if I leave them all to suffer their short and miserable lives they will simply destroy themselves, as they seem to so desperately desire. Then something less disgusting can be born to take this new "humanity's" place.

And you will just stand by and watch, doing nothing, because you are no better than them.

[albatrossomen]

Ah, of course. Lash out the anger of your own misunderstandings and mistakes and lay the blame upon another, rather than listen or learn. Truly, you most certainly are human.

We do not intervene.

[No one betters themselves by having their messes cleaned up by a nanny for eternity.]

[ancestor]

That they would crush down their own and leave them to suffer for their own gain?! That cannot be misunderstood!

Why should you bother to exist then? What is the point of you? An emotionless husk that walks and talks and watches. Useless.

Good-bye.

[albatrossomen]

[Congratulations, she's demonstrated her ability to willfully miss the point splendidly. Very impressive.

He's not going to dignify her tantrums with an answer, but he will swing by Emet-Selch to let him know things have gotten hairy with his friend before he cocoons himself up to not listen to her further.]