O2 ★ [VIDEO; UN - SEASHELL]

[justsomeshrimp]

[The feed turns on and at first only the surface of a desk can be seen--it seems the communicator is propped up against something. There's a scuttling sound and somewhere behind the communicator, out comes a bright red shrimp to settle down in front of the camera. It only just barely manages to be an inch long and it raises its two front legs in an unmistakable wave.]

Good morning, Lunatia!

My name is Lobco and as you can see I am a shrimp! [Well. Technically it's a little more complicated than that but details aren't needed]

This is not an effect by any of the Moons, nor a curse--I am in fact a shrimp. This is my natural form. Thanks to some hereditary magic I am able to change my body to be more 'human' I suppose you can say.

The reason I am coming out today is because there's something I've been very curious about in all my time here in this world. The thing that was the most shocking for me coming here was to see how other animals here are treated and...that none of them seem to be capable of speech. Or even much critical thinking.

While not all the animal folk from my world can change as I do, all of them can speak and think so needless to say it was, and still is, a little disturbing to see how different things are here. From the little I've gleaned this seems to be the norm rather than the exception among worlds so I'm curious to know what it's like on other people's home planets. What are animal folk like where you come from? How are they treated?

I'm especially interested to hear from other people like myself.

Comments

[Video]

[burnt_offering]

Hey Lobco.

Animals kind of have a wide range of capability where I'm from. There are animals that just go on instinct mostly, some of 'em are really simple and some of 'em are super smart. So that's that. So I guess we have animals, and then thinking animals too? One of my crewmates back home was a big lynx. He wasn't a pet at all, he was a member of the Spade pirates and respected. But he wasn't treated great where he was before he joined my crew. People can be pretty awful. So how they're treated depends on where they are and who they're with.

[This is complicated.] But then we have animal people, the Minks. And we have the fishmen and mermaids too. They have a big range in how they look, some of 'em are pretty human looking, some really have a lot of animal traits. They can be treated really bad back home, slavery is illegal where I'm from but the government allows it anyway. The mermaids get hit the hardest I think, but anyone interesting or strong has a big risk.

[justsomeshrimp]

That does sound pretty diverse---but not unlike what I have back in my home. There are those categorized as animal folk, but then also those who just happen to have similar traits to animals but are their own species, like mermaids.

We're generally all....seen as lesser. Particularly compared to the dominant species of the world.

[She gives a small sigh]

It's...odd how prevalent certain things are even across worlds. Or maybe not so odd.

[burnt_offering]

In our world, a lot of the humans are treated the same way. It's kind of tricky, our system works with the World Nobles at the top, the World Government below, and it just goes down from there.

[Ace signs too, nearly at the same time Lobco does.]

No, it's a lot of the same bad no matter where people come from. I keep hearin' bad stuff that sounds way too familiar.

[justsomeshrimp]

I take it these Nobles don't particularly care for fixing some of these civil rights issues?

[burnt_offering]

If they fix the issues, they run outta slaves. And they'd rather have their messed up fun continue if you know what I mean.

[justsomeshrimp]

...yea. Yea I know what you mean. [All too well.]

I hope things can get better in your home--everywhere. But as much as it's frustrating to see the same mistakes repeated so often in so many places...it's nice to know that there are some places that have gotten it right, too.

[burnt_offering]

I wish you didn't. I want things to be better in all our homes.

My brothers are both big deals back home. One of 'em's gonna be the pirate king. The other is helping lead the Revolutionary army. So they're gonna force change together. So maybe both our homes can catch up to the better ones someday.

[justsomeshrimp]

I know you all can do it.

[There isn't such a movement in Pitch--at least not as far as she knows, but one day, perhaps]

[burnt_offering]

They will. I believe in them.

[He just wishes that he could be there for it.]

Do you have anything like that back home?

[justsomeshrimp]

As far as I'm aware...no. People love being able to do whatever they want and those who would like to change things are understandably too scared.

But perhaps there is something at work that I don't know of. I hope so.

[burnt_offering]

I hope so too.

All it takes is one person to stand up to change the world, though. So it might just happen, before you think it's even possible.