(Open) But Why Tho [Backdated to Early November, Hybrid Log/Network]

[infrastructured]

Who: Steven and YOU!
When: Throughout November
Where: Around town, mostly in shops.
Summary: Steven tries to figure out why Black Friday starts before Thanksgiving now
Warnings: Whining

It's bizarre. The flyers come non-stop. There's not any other active apocalypse, but this is suspicious, so this MAY require some investigation... And for once he has time.

Steven spends the weeks leading up to Turkey Day investigating stores. Seeing standees. He doesn't buy anything he doesn't really need, because this is bizarre even for this place.

Why the everloving fuck is Black Friday starting early?!

He'll ask anyone even marginally familiar he bumps into. "Hey, is this.... normal?"

Who: Steven and YOU!
Username: GhostGuru
Warnings: None

[A text post on the network.] Is anyone else weirded out by capitalism?

Comments

[text] un: cupkate

[bossyboiler]

You mean by how much it's unfettered and left unchecked on this planet?

[infrastructured]

Pretty much. It wasn't quite this bad when I came from.

[bossyboiler]

It is regulated more stringently where I come from. I'm certain that I don't need to go anywhere at 4 in the morning for a new TV.

[infrastructured]

It's not even that - it's doing that every day for a month. And what's with cyber monday?

[bossyboiler]

I don't know. I really don't other than people seem more greedy here but that may just be me.

[infrastructured]

Makes sense, that's largely my experience too.

What's home like?

[bossyboiler]

Two moons. Rougher beaches. More equity and equality. Less choices. It's different enough that I can tell the chances and be completely baffled by them. I have to look up a lot of stuff like slang.

What's yours like?

[infrastructured]

I'm from an earth. Similar to this, but different too. Our supernatural scene is different.

Oh and I skipped 13 years.

[bossyboiler]

My Earth has two moons and everyone has Abilities.

Oddly enough, I'm in the same year. But skipping thirty years sounds difficult.

[infrastructured]

[He'll assume that was a typo.]

Most people are mundane where I'm from, I'm just one of the ones in the know about those who aren't. The ones who come out when no one's looking.

[bossyboiler]

[ Typo, yes. ]

Are you mundane?

[infrastructured]

[Boy is THAT a loaded question. It's a bit before he answers.]

Is anyone when they know enough?

[bossyboiler]

I suppose not.

text; un: freakscene

[cacophonish]

yeah thats why i dont participate in the system

[infrastructured]

Would that it were so easy. How do you manage?

[cacophonish]

i get by with music and odd jobs when i need em

think about it! no rent or bills here. foods easy to get if you know where to look. used clothes are cheap. pretty much the only thing i need $$ for is gear

[ Annnnnd drugs, but at least he's not going to say that out in the open! ]

all this black friday holiday shopping crap is a scam

[infrastructured]

What kind of music?

I agree, but why is it a month long now? One day of people dying at Walmart was enough!

[cacophonish]

i guess like alt rock. i liked to go for a kinda experimental sound back home, some neopsychedelic flavor... but ive had to adapt here now that im solo! so im trying out a more folk sound

wait what people seriously die? i dont remember it ever being THAT bad

[ Ah the Black Fridays of the 90s were a simpler time. Jeff even predates the Tickle Me Elmo fiasco... ]

[text] un: Aberration

[aelwyn_aberration]

Not really. It's sort of just how people are, as bleak as that might seem.

Some variation of stepping on other people to get what you want has existed since the dawn of time, capitalism is just an extra efficient variant.

[infrastructured]

Wow, that's a pretty thought out answer.

I'm mostly just wondering why black friday is a month long now.

[aelwyn_aberration]

Oh, I assume that's just because it's feeding some kind of fear demon.

What's Black Friday?

[infrastructured]

Well, a while back, a lot of corporations were in the red, in debt, so they made a big day of selling items as low as they could to get back in the black, and that was the friday after thanksgiving.

[aelwyn_aberration]

That certainly does sound like capitalism at work.

Doesn't sound so bad, though. Cheaper clothes are nice.

[Source: Girl who has only recently had to manage her own money.]

[infrastructured]

It's only gotten worse, in terms of insanity. People get killed by mobs a lot now.

[aelwyn_aberration]

What an utterly stupid way to die. At some point, that's just natural selection at work.

[infrastructured]

Not if you're an employee just trying to open the store.

No, it's really a bad time.

[aelwyn_aberration]

Yes, they're deserving of sympathy, certainly. I've never worked retail, but I can't imagine it's easy dealing with a ravenous horde with no regard for anyone or anything other than getting their fill of loot.

[infrastructured]

Sounds like zombies, doesn't it? Except for deals, not brains. Or whatever zombies go for. I've never met one.

[aelwyn_aberration]

Flesh in general, I believe. I've no idea where the brain rumour came from, they're much too stupid to go for such a specific target.

[infrastructured]

... I guess you've met some?

They're supposedly fictional in my home earth. Now, mummies are close, and ghosts and spirits are very real, but I've never met a zombie.

[aelwyn_aberration]

Necromancy is a very common, if under-appreciated form of magic. I've seen some, and made a few under controlled circumstances.

They're very useless as far as arcane thralls go.

[infrastructured]

So you're some kind of mage? They exist back home, but I didn't know many.

[aelwyn_aberration]

A wizard, specifically. Of the Abjuration school of magic. Protective wards, anti-magic, that sort of thing.

Was your world also Earth? Or did you just happen to also have this Black Friday?

[infrastructured]

It was an Earth. Different, but Earth. And 13 years ago.

[aelwyn_aberration]

I see, so capitalism has grown in so little time...

What a tragic state of affairs!