un: shinra | text

[unionized]

I see the companion bots have been hard at work updating our skyline of late. A neat trick, reproducing such elaborate structures — for those of you familiar with what's gone up, have you found them to be faithful recreations? Or has a little Etrayan creativity found its way in?

Aurora went out of her way to make one thing clear in her initial communication to us: that we were selected for this exercise for a reason. That begs two immediate questions: why were our worlds the ones selected for representation, and why were we the ones selected to represent them?

Our hosts are unlikely to give us those answers, as we know the selection criteria is being withheld from us. So perhaps the only way we'll make any headway is by taking matters into our own hands.

Consider, then, an exercise of our own: to share something about your world and its circumstances. At best, we might find a common denominator that speaks to our hosts' interest in us. At worst, we'll all come away with a better idea of what's at stake for each of us.

I'm not proposing a forum to advocate for these worlds' continued existence; Aurora and her contemporaries have that much well in hand already. What I am suggesting is that we all better understand our purpose here, and its implications: that should we succeed, these are the worlds that will survive, even at the expense of others that weren't so lucky as to have people like us brought here to fight for them.

Comments

text; un: hayan

[thorncrown]

Oh. Well ... I'm from Korea. That's a country on Earth. It's pretty modern but there are some more country like spots too so the skyline here doesn't look to weird so far.

[unionized]

[So Earth is the planet, and Korea is the nation. Check.]

Have you lived in Korea your whole life?

[thorncrown]

I have. My parents were born there too. Maybe my grandparents as well?

text — un: willa

[infirmiere]

I am also from Earth, though I have lived on every continent. It is pretty okay most of the time, the environment needs more TLC, but people are mostly good.

I was born in what is now France, I think, the borders shifted around a lot before they settled on the present day lines.

[unionized]

How many continents are there? I'd like to have a better idea of how impressive a feat that is.

[infirmiere]

Seven!

[ and because she feels bad trying to explain a whole planet to him, a picture attachment pops up: a hasty though decently accurate sketch of a world map, neatly labeled in a delicate cursive for each continent and the four oceans. ]

text | un: blackhat

[equivo]

Earth seems to be a leading origin point so far.

That's also where I'm from. Specifically, the country of the good old United States of America, home of baseball, apple pie, and everyday low pricing.

If you want to get an idea of what it's like, check out the Kwik Trip. It's enlightening.

[unionized]

[Krouse this is a man who was wilded out by the prospect of entering his own skyscraper on foot from the ground level because he was so used to arriving via helipad on the roof, what do you mean you want him to ENTER a CONVENIENCE STORE.]

I'll make a note of it. Anything in particular I should give my attention to?

[equivo]

[ Prepare to be dismayed, Rufus. ]

Try out the green Monster Energy. It tastes like melted green Jolly Ranchers, which you should also be able to find there. Pick up some Doritos in the red bag to go with it.

Otherwise, take in the wide array of disposable plastic products, the variety of shitty beer, and check a few nutrition labels for the sodium content. I think you'll get a decent sense of our core American values.

text | un: griffin

[skaikru]

( a call to action, and so far a common theme appearing in the comments... )

I'm not from Earth originally, but that is where I was taken from. For me it was the year 2150 AD.

[unionized]

Another from Earth, then. What does the AD stand for?

[skaikru]

Technically Space.

And, I don't really know. I know it's Latin in origin, and has something to do with old religions. It's how our ancestors dated things, and I guess we continued it out of posterity.

not here

[nonvoting]

[ but tseng is indeed observing the responses here and making note of what interests him. which so far is most of it; he's picked up a fact or two about earth, generally, from his conversations with others, but it's always better to be well-informed. ]

un: mordio

[myagic]

For the record: it doesn't matter who or what Echo is. Nobody has the right to decide which worlds fit their arbitrary criteria for continued existence.

[Like yeah sure she could've answered his actual proposed topic of discussion, but she thinks this is the first and foremost thing. Something about the weren't so lucky statement at the end there just got her hackles up, maybe.]

[unionized]

So noted for the record. Do you think it's going to stop them?

[myagic]

No, because they're probably idiots with a serious god complex. So we find them and MAKE them stop. 🔥

(Text; UN: amidala)

[politicallyinclined]

I am uneasy when I think about the many, many planets that lack representation. What or who causes said planetary destruction? I have seen planets die - usually the outcome of war or famine or disease (or all three); I have seen dead stars, circling dead, black planets that were once overflowing with life.

Is that what we should expect?

I have no desire to fail, but if I can, I wish to fight for all of the planets in my galaxy.

[unionized]

Do you think you can be an adequate representative for more than one of them?

[politicallyinclined]

I believe so, yes. I was Queen of Naboo for two terms and now I am a Senator. I know the inner worlds well.

text; un: skywalker

[facultative]

I don't see you sharing anything.

[unionized]

[Oh, good. This one's clever.]

I'm a good listener.

[facultative]

Yet you've done a lot of talking about nothing.

Text

[mostdangerousbird]

Has anyone checked in as not being exclusively from one world or universe?

[unionized]

Not yet. Are you volunteering?

[mostdangerousbird]

Me? No, I'm from Earth on both sides of the family, and it's not exactly common to not be. There's a supermodel who's an alien though.