Mingle - Emergency Potluck

[pumpkinhollow]

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WELCOME POTLUCK

Greetings, residents! Those more observant sorts among you may have noticed a large influx of very crowded ferries. In order to welcome our new residents en masse, Town Hall is holding a potluck in Town Square. Please bring a dish if you are able and make a new friend!

All of our newest arrivals need only bring themselves. We look forward to welcoming you all into our community, and may your lanterns always be lit.

This event is open to all! In light of our new influx of prospective players following the Great Sail Migration, we've decided to offer a small public event to tide everyone over until the TDM this weekend.

Comments

[tehilim127_1]

"Not that I know of. We don't have any space travel to speak of, so all our trade is within and between continents on the one planet. And I think our trade and travel has generally been under the auspices of one government or another ... I'm not an expert on the subject, though, especially historically."

[astrogator]

She nods. 'My people gained our independence from a very overbearing and tyrannical government, long ago, so most colonial Charters limit government functions. But history isn't my field either; I mainly know Tradeline history because learning it is part of our officer training. Remembering those who came before us, yes? My homeworld is Company-owned, so it's run by shareholder vote, but other colonies have different systems. What sort of government does yours have?'

She's genuinely curious, in part because she wants to check it's not tyranny. Tayrey uses the term loosely; the Breakaway war was sparked by a government attempt to seize intellectual property, but grievances ranged from intrusive surveillance and harsh suppression of dissent to the very concept of taxation.

[tehilim127_1]

"Well," and her voice goes a touch rueful and sardonic, "the country I live in also gained its independence from an overbearing and tyrannical government, so goes the story, and it set itself up as a representative democracy about two hundred some years ago. And mostly it's managed to keep from being too tyrannical over most of its own citizens, ever since then. People who weren't citizens, though, or people who some other people thought shouldn't count as citizens, that's been a different story. A lot of good and valuable ideas in its founding; mixed results on living up to them."

[astrogator]

'I wish I could say that I didn't know exactly what you meant about people playing political games over who should get citizens' rights, but-' Tayrey shrugs. 'Those who benefit from trying to take others' freedoms are always going to look for loopholes. We've had robust enough opposition to stop them from getting anywhere, but it's always a danger.'

Then she adds, more optimistically: 'At least societies founded on resisting tyranny will recognise the intrinsic value of liberty.' Something Tayrey had believed self-evident, until she'd met people content to live in a cage because they feared what might be outside it. 'That counts for a lot.'

[tehilim127_1]

"Yes, exactly. It does make a difference that the ideals are good ones, even if they've never been fully achieved."

She glances around. "Do you know, I haven't worked out yet what kind of government they have here? I wonder if they'd be willing to do some sort of ... quick and dirty civics lessons, for all of us just getting here. It all feels familiar enough that I've been vaguely assuming the laws are more or less the same as at home, and I've got no idea if that's true."

[astrogator]

She shakes her head. 'I'd guess it's not true at all, but then everyone I've met from other universes has had radically different ideas about politics.' Tayrey hasn't been terribly worried, because a Tradeliner follows Tradeline code no matter where she is, regardless of local law, and there's no overt evidence of tyranny or oppression in this place.

'I guess it would be good to stay informed. Ordinarily I'd suggest attending the next citizens' assembly, but that would be assuming they have one.'

[tehilim127_1]

"There might be one, or something like it. A lot here feels familiar, and that's making me wonder what I'm missing. Eh ..." She tips her head side to side, in a gesture that seems to stand in for a shrug. "We'll see."