Dream On: Vinyl and Tavi's Private Weblog

by Koiyuki

Octavia, on Money and Morality

When we first met, you often spoke of how money changed people, how it brought out the worst in others, as you did during our trip to my family's beachfront property in the Pomptons. If I remember correctly, while we were watching the fireworks display on the porch, you said, "I totally expected your folks to be more uptight and prick-ish. Glad they ain't like the other rich stiffs I've run into here!" I didn't say it at the time, out of respect and social propriety, but the implications of what you said deeply hurt me, in part because those uptight and prick-ish rich folks were people I've known all my life, and the notion that being rich made them bad people was offensively absurd. As I delved into deeper societal issues, however, that notion had an increasingly stronger basis, more so when friends from my place in society expressed the same kind of baseless vitriol towards those of lower standing. As you called them criminals for skimping on their taxes and pricing people out of their homes through gentrification, they called the poor that for using government services to live off of taxpayers' money and the middle class lazy for not infusing more money into the struggling economy. It's truly shocking how divisive money is, more so when people see it as a black and white matter, instead of the diversely neutral force it is.

Of course, money can be used for great evil, and has, whether through funding war, bribing officials or driving people to do disgraceful things in order to attain it. Likewise, I believe that money can do much good for many in the world, including funding the dreams and aspirations of those brave enough to attempt making them reality, like those who turn to a recently popular method of attaining capital, crowdsourcing. If memory serves, crowdsourcing encompasses many of the principals of raising venture capital, e.g. showing the product, setting how much time and money will be needed to complete it, showing both how it will benefit the investor and what progress has already been made with it, and so on. Instead of turning to traditional investors, however, they appeal all this to everyday people through sites like Sparker, promising them certain incentives based on how much they invest in a given project, like, say, pledging 25 bits to support a game in development versus pledging 2500 to appear in it. Unlike traditional investment, however, there's a stronger tendency towards good faith, as crowdsourcing doesn't guarantee investors will see a return on what they put in, like with that Sparker by a group of young podcasters and experienced animators. Given how well they spun their game in development, I wasn't shocked at how it was successfully funded, nor at how the team spent 500000 bits plus the following 4 years producing absolutely nothing but empty promises. What is shocking, though, is the amount of people willing to brave the 9 in 10 chance of failure these projects have become known for in order to revive old franchises, give a fighting chance to what investors wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole or, as learned from Lily Blossom recently, letting someone cook a chicken dinner.

***

We met up a local vegetarian Cafe one weekend, Lily treating me to an absolutely creamy tofu Tiramisu while we caught up on how things were going. During our chat, she showed me an article on Peeper discussing the chicken dinner Sparker in question, and how it reached its 10 bit goal 10000x over, prompting us to wonder if it was proper to keep all that money. After taking a sip of her Chai Soy Latte, she looked over at me, and said, "If I were in his position, I would feel great discomfort at keeping money I did not earn, more so if were six figures worth"

"You grew up learning that one gets back whatever they put in, correct? From a personal development perspective, it's an excellent maxim to live by. Not so much financially, though"

"Hmm. I'm sure those who make those around them pay for their insatiable ambition would agree with you. You know, gang members, politicians, arms dealers, the kind of people you would meet for brunch"

"Don't forget celebrities, business types and medicine peddlers, now. No cabal of hungry insensitivity would be complete without all the types of people who are thinking the exact same thing you are."

"Really? That's a fascinating view, that such self-obsessed people would think that what you desire can only be had by the sweat of your own brow."

"Isn't it?" She seemed highly intrigued by my Tiramisu, so I let have her a nibble while I explained "Think of it like this: when you're born into more working class societies, you're taught to obey meaningful authority and only take what you think you've earned, correct? Otherwise you might face the wrath of those who sign your paychecks, if not something worse. The higher up one is, the more deserving they think they are of what they have, and everyone who isn't where they are simply isn't working hard enough to join them, especially if they were born into it. That's why those who are rich are known to act how they're known to act, more so when they're removed from the realities of how trying and rare it is to get to where they are"

"Then there's a connection between one's personal growth and their social standing. There must be if that much is true"

"It makes for great stories, that theory, but as you know from the crime that runs rampant in both lower-income neighborhoods and the highest echelons of our society, the link is weaker than poorly cooked spaghetti. In reality money is not a poison that corrodes our essence, but a fertilizer that grows what already lies within, what's already been shaped by nature and nurture"

"So then all those cruel people I met when we went to school together..."

"Would be just as cruel if they were raised in the inner city, if not more so. Tell me something, Lily, if you entered a supermarket expecting 10 bits in your pocket, would how you shop change if you suddenly found you had 100?" She chewed over her mini cinnamon buns while she chewed over her answer.

"I would probably buy what I intended to, but with that much extra, I'd probably feel-"

"Drowned in a sea of possibilities? I imagine that Chicken Dinner person feels the same way, given how many directions people must be pulling him over the Sparker's success and subsequent parade of publicity. Perhaps he could use some guidance, as you got from your partner when you started your NPO"

"Perhaps, but what could I show him about what to do with his money?"

"The same thing you show others who benefit from your organization's efforts: the power money has to change lives for the better" After that day, she contacted Schwarzwald, the person behind the Sparker and a manager at a fast food restaurant in Detrot and arranged a meeting between the 3 of us in the Motor City.

***

My parents spoke fondly of this place as their birthplace of both Motown soul and classic automotive muscle, calling each a quality product of the good old days; my first time there, however, showed me a city of soaring skyscrapers and howling silence. Through the windows of the Midnight Blue coupe I rented for the trip I saw streets lined with failed business after foreclosed property after abandoned building. Without looking up from her copy of Gamer Tengoku, she asked,"So how does it feel to see the falling heart of a city this closely?" As a lifelong Manehattanite, I had no idea a city as big and important as Detrot could feel so empty, so lifeless, so utterly downtrodden that corporations are looking to privatize basic utilities. The only thing I could say upon taking all this in was, "Maybe those people yelling 'Capitalism doesn't work!' all the time aren't entirely without error, if this is what the invisible hand of the market lets happen" By the time we arrived at the Solaria Burgers he manages, I was curious about what the fare was like there, considering I hadn't set for in such an establishment in ages. As I wondered what a Rodeo Chicken Burger tastes like, I saw a blond, ponytailed young woman at the front of the line with her child, counting her bits and saying, "This can't be right. How could I be one bit short?" In that moment, a man with a dark quaffed mane and skin like cocoa came up from behind her and said, "Don't worry, ma'am, I got'chu." as he paid the remaining cost. It left quite an impression as we waited for our order, with him finally bringing a bucket of fries, a box of chicken nuggets, 3 gigantic cups of soda, and the Rodeo Chicken Burger I've heard so much about(which, naturally, is a fried chicken patty topped with copious onion rings and barbecue sauce). "I know it ain't exactly a Filet Mignon with Champagne and Caviar, but I hope y'all enjoy it"

"I'm sure it's quite tasty," said Lily,"but I feel uneasy about eating something that's put so many into dire health situations"

"Sign of the times. Back in medieval times, when food was harder to come by, plumpness was a status symbol. The easier food got to get, the more that shifted over to fitness and eating proper, since those show you got the time, money and smarts to care about your figure"

"Something not as plentiful to those of lower standing, I assume?" Schwarzwald nodded as he dipped a nugget into a small tub of Sweet and Sour sauce.

"As much as I stand behind the food we offer here, I've always thought that the best thing you can give someone is a meal made with your own two hands, not one you buy off of a menu, you know?" I nodded after taking a hefty bite of the burger he brought, washing it down with the mix of cola, lemon lime soda, fruit punch, lemonade and root beer I asked for beforehand(something I made all the time as a child when my family took me to Solaria Burgers after cello practice. A Soyokaze, I believe a friend called it).

"Is that why you started that Sparker?".

"Far from it, ma'am. Originally, I set it up to teach my son how to work his hustle-you know, give him a stepping stone to go on, so he can get those big things popping. Never did I think it'd grow to be as big as it has, with all that money, all that media attention and all them haters"

"Things that have grown quite overwhelming for him, based on the tone of our email correspondence" In the center of the tray, Schwarzwald pooled a glob of ketchup for the fries to be dipped in, doing so with the small bundle he snatched up.

"That's why when I recognized who was writing to me, I knew we would be in good hands with Miss LBX."

"I take it you're familiar with my work as part of the Cuddly Outlawz?" Asked Lily

"Through playing that kung fu game with my son, yeah. I didn't figure such a mealy-mouthed mofo would also be working to put computers in the reach of working class folks"

"As someone raised by working class folks, I know well what worlds a good computer can open to someone, and seek to do that for as many as I can"

"Including the fine folks of Detrot?"

"Certainly, if your son could do me that kindness" After our lunch, the three of us talked business while riding through the streets of Detrot, Schwarzwald calling his son and asking if he would like to use his money to start a branch of the Cuddly Outlawz's NPO in Detrot. Soon, he passed the phone to Lily, who heard the words "Oh my Celestia is this really LBX!?" screech through the speaker. Needless to say that Lily and her apparent fan worked out the details, agreeing to debut the new branch of the NPO with a BBQ any gamer would kill to have in their backyard, including an 5 on 5 exhibition match in The Flying Tigers, Lily heading one team, and her fan leading the other.

***

As I predicted, the media arrived en masse at the Net Cafe the event took place at, the parking lot full of people waiting for their helping of BBQ from the drum barrel smoker. While Lily and her motley crew were working the crowd over, Schwarzwald's son and I were practicing inside, getting in sync for the 5 on 5 while I got to better know my teammate. From what I remember between the stream of inquiries he had about Lily, the slender, olive skinned young man had a flowing chestnut mane and was a self employed computer tech learning the craft at a local community college, slowly discovering that he had no idea what to do with either his life or the 100k bits burning a hole in his account. After a practice match on the ski resort map(the one we settled on for the upcoming match), he started expressing uncertainty about his gains, asking, "Am I a bad person for getting all that money for just a chicken dinner, Ms Octavia?" over our private voice chat.

"That depends: Do you think earning your money in a quick and legal manner makes you bad?"

"No, but you could say the same about the banker dudes who screwed all those people out of their homes with bad loans, like what happened with my neighbor awhile back"

"People I assume wouldn't do anything like what you're doing right now with Lily. Yes, the bankers were in error for what they did, but you have the chance to do something better with your gains. If Lily didn't think you as capable of that, she wouldn't be out there with her teammates stepping to the plate for you"

"You mean the same teammates fixing to tan our hides on this map?"

"The same. Whether they do, however, rests on how you, I and the others come together to face a team of world class Esports athletes"

"Athletes? Yeah, they're pretty hax, but athletes? Really?"

"They've put in enough time to perform well at tourneys watched by millions and sponsored for thousands of bits in prizes, have they not?"

"I suppose, but they don't fit what most folks would call an athlete"

"Just as you don't fit the conventional mold of financial success, yet here you are on the verge of launching a local branch of an NPO thanks to your efforts promoting your Sparker-"

"And everything Miss Blossom has taught me about how to use my gains to do right by others. Gotta admit, though, part of me feels like I'm totally unprepared to take on that kind of responsibility, to have that many people depend on how well I do at my job"

"That, in my view, is the ultimate duty of those who gain great fortune: to bring joy not only themselves and those closer to them, but also to as many as their resources will allow. This aim is something I'm sure Lily thinks has gone forgotten among the upper class-and something I don't fault her for, after seeing how callous some of my contemporaries have been towards others."

"You mean like the guy who bought all the Apple Pies in my dad's restaurant so some little kid that pissed him off couldn't get any?"

"If not that, then something even crueler. For every one of them, however, there's one like you and Lily to seek to lend a hand to the downtrodden of our world, whether through giving them a hot meal to feed their stomachs or giving them computers so they can feed their minds. Now then, are you ready, Mister..."

"Blitzkrieg, or as my friends like to call me, Blitz. And no, I don't think I'm ready to face LBX and her team of ice cold killers. I'm damn sure gonna play like I am, though!" He was right to show uncertainty, because my research showed that with her AP Bullets, Thermal Vision and Sentry Turret boosters, she wasn't just a skilled shot, she was also a skilled shot that could strike her target down anywhere she wanted, at any time she wanted.

Sure enough, when the match started, she became the dead aim ghost her reputation made her out to be, never revealing her location until the kill cam showed how she planted one between my teammate's eyes. From my understanding, the AP Bullet booster tripled the cost of firing a weapon, meaning that every shot must find its mark to maximize its wall and armor penetrating power as hers did. My people were getting popped outside the cabin she holed up in, just as they were emerging from the underground caves, and from behind the cover of the resort town they spawned in from about half way across the map, the 15-22 deficit only staying that size thanks to the guerrilla tactics Blitzkrieg and his team practiced to lock down the rest of the Cuddly Outlawz. As the halfway mark in our match grew close, though, I knew that if nothing changed, this would be a stalemate, with Lily being the swing factor, so over our comms, I told them, "you guys handle the others. LBX is mine."

For this match, I chose to counter her setup with the Fleet Foot, Quick Reload and and Radar Jamming boosters, each of these theoretically working together to create an untraceable blur of bullets; the only thing to give me away was Lily's own knowledge of my tendencies, so, with my trusty shotgun in hand, I set off to take down their ace, and try to turn the tides. With the guidance of my team and knowledge of every vantage point a sniper could have on this map, I approached her position in the cabin, running between the snow dusted pines, heading upstairs, and anticipating a warm greeting from her turrets the second I got near that bedroom. My research told me the quickest counter to her measures was a well-placed grenade, so with my instincts guiding my aim, I rolled one into the room, and let the rest take its course. Seconds later, the message, "MissStrings&Things has fragged [Cddly0tl4wz]xxLBXxx" popped up on the screen, Lily offering a few words of praise before she said, "I guess I know who I need to be aiming for, eh, rich girl?"

From then on, it became a game of cat and mouse between us, each trying to outwit the other while our teammates were off ventilating each other with bullets and blades across that mountain resort, our audience growing thirstier for blood with each passing moment. Meanwhile, at the same time I was dodging sniper fire in the snowy field and getting skewered from behind in the caves, Blitzkrieg and crew went on a headshot frenzy, frequently catching the other side napping at choke points around the map, based on the loud exasperations I caught from their players. Slowly, did the kill tally even out as the round entered the dying minutes of our match, all of us letting the ammo fly in search of the winning edge. I can still remember the game announcer count down the seconds as Blitzkrieg and I marched through the forest, Blitzkrieg suddenly shouting, "2 o' clock hot!" prompting me to aim my shotgun right and above. Immediately in my sights was a rapidly descending Lily, her knife ready to be plunged to my chest as I deflected it, knocked her to the ground, and blasted her in the side of her head, making the score 51-50 right before the game ended.

***

　"You played well under pressure, Mr. Blitzkrieg" said Lily, as all of us sat down with our plateful of BBQ to have a chat after our match. "As I would expect from someone I chose to manage this branch of the charity"

"Why, thank you, Ms. LBX. It was a pleasure to play against someone of your skill, and an honor to bring some shine to the Cuddly Outlawz. I'm curious, though. Why Detrot? Why me?"

"The city, while with its own unique charm and history, does not matter as much as the people that live in it. When I first caught wind of your story, you struck me as someone seeking to do right by others, but without any clue on how, an intention I've seen taken in devious directions far too many times to count. As your father knows, I came here because both of us seek to make our world a brighter place and to bring others a light to guide them through their darkness, and now I seek to do what I can do help you do the same" Speechless, he looked down at his plate of ribs, cole slaw and potato wedges, munching away at that succulent, tender rib meat. "I know you feel that what you're doing is like throwing a grain of sand into the ocean, but believe me when I say that what you're working with us to do means to the world to those we're helping, not to mention that you can connect with others at a depth I haven't seen in quite some time"

"Aw shucks, I was just talking to them like I'd talk to anyone lookin' for a good friend and a listening ear"

"And that's why I know you're the right person for this position. As someone who knows the value of kindness and generosity, I can't even begin to explain how valuable it is when someone is willing to speak with them, not at them, more so in their hour of need"

"Like your folks did for you?" Lily shot him a nod and her gentlest smile. "Then that's what I'll do for all the folks that need what you wanna do for them. No matter how small that kindness may seem, you can count on me to do right by them" From that day on, Lily has never ceased to use her resources to provide to those in need, and help them find a way to a better life through computers, as she got when her parents gave her that PC on her birthday. It brings me a sense of pride to know that I can help her accomplish this, and show her and the others that for all the evil money has and will bring into the world, it can also bring about a life-changing amount of good. Whenever I play the Flying Tigers, though, now I always check to see if she's in the same lobby. If she is and is on the other team, I can sure she will shoot me between the eyes at least 7 times before the match is done

Author's Note:

From Vinyl:

"Sounds she still mad salty about you beating her, there. Hope you get good enough to pay her back for some of that! Anyways, as a DJ, one of things that's always in the back of my mind is copyright law, as a lot of my profession involves working with other people's work to make into my own, and the yards of industry red tape that stuff involves. Even now, I still ain't solid on the line between respecting IP and using what's come before to make something new and fresh, especially these days, with how easy it is to get someone else's work and share it all over the world. Maybe that'll be what I work on next"

Comments

[Koiyuki]

4909174
I tend to do that on my first drafts. I will revisit the pieces, and see what other adjustments need to be made