A science officer from the A.S.S. Thrifty, Lieutenant Commander Meow Meow, introduces a guest from a distant era—a human from 2016—into the year 2425 as part of a cultural learning experience. The guest, Ivy Legion Six, belongs to a species that still relies on ink and traditional writing for identity and communication. Their society is in conflict with other planets over secret ink mining, which threatens their stability. Ink is not used for writing words or letters in the conventional sense, but rather as a form of visual symbolism; angry faces and knives represent family affiliations and humor, which is a rare and valued cultural commodity. The species uses body markings, like the ancient llama symbol, to denote social roles—such as musical composition—emphasizing tradition and personal connection. Despite technological advances in 2425, the species holds onto these practices as a way to preserve identity and community. The conversation highlights the irony and nostalgia of 2016-era habits, like pen use, and critiques the mocking attitude toward them. It also touches on the historical tendency of humans to be paranoid, which may have contributed to past societal collapse—though this is later acknowledged as a spoiler and temporarily removed from the discussion. Ultimately, the exchange underscores the importance of cultural respect and the value of preserving traditions, even in the face of technological progress.
Hello, listeners. I am Lieutenant Commander Meow Meow of the A.S.S. Thrifty, Science Officer.
Now, as you know, recently I accidentally beamed a human male from 2016 aboard to the year 2425.
Say hello, Chris.
Hello, everybody.
Yes. So, as part of his learning experience in 2425, I have decided to bring aboard different races and species for him to learn about.
Today, I have brought on a new guest. Please say hello.
Hi.
Now, Chris, logically speaking, what would be the next question you would ask our guest?
I guess logically? Where are you from?
No, that's not the question.
That's the question. You ask her her name.
What is your name?
My name is Ivy Legion Six.
My sisters are seven through twelve.
Okay.
Now you can ask your next question.
Second question.
Where are you from?
That's some sensitive information right now because we're sort of at war with several other planets, actually.
And, um. But why? Why are you at war?
There is an ink scarcity on our planet, and we've sort of been secretly mining it from other planets, and if they found out, they'd be really mad.
I mean, I guess that makes sense.
Does it, Chris? I don't think you understand.
I mean, you. Ink.
Yes.
Who steals ink?
I mean, obviously, you.
Well, we still use that as our main form of writing.
We haven't developed the advanced technology that you guys have, so, like, we still teach our children to use the ink and quill and all of that, so it's rather important to us for communication.
Now, see, that's something I can get into.
That's 2016.
We still use pens.
Yeah, it's very. It's cute.
It's trite.
We like to preserve that.
I feel bad about that.
Yes, as you're short, things from that era seem to be quite popular in the crowd.
Yes, but I feel like most people use it in, like, an ironic way, like they're making fun of us, and I just, I want to say that I just, I don't think that's right.
I think we need to respect it.
Well, right, I don't know, 2016, that was our form of writing.
Oh, 2016 was, um, it's not a year to brag about.
That is correct.
Your kind was also very prone to paranoia, and, um, I don't blame you, but it was sort of a major character flaw that led to your eventual downfall.
Now, that might be a bit of spoilers for the human here.
Oh, I'm sorry.
That's fine.
I'll zap his memory later.
Listen.
No, can we circle back to that?
No, I was out of line.
I'm really out of line.
I'm sorry.
Let's talk more about the ink.
And what you use it for.
Now, it might not be what Chris here thinks.
Now, in 2016, as I understand it, you used ink as a form of writing stories or letters.
Is that correct?
We wrote every, I mean, mainly, yeah, I would say, yeah, we wrote, um, we wrote books.
With words and letters.
Letters that made the words.
Yes, they do not use it for words and letters.
Letters.
It's more like, mm, pictures of angry faces and knives.
So, you, you just, you draw?
That's it?
Um, our people, we use it more as, um, we identify ourselves through the symbols that we, um, mark on our bodies, um, to know, um, like which, which of the families are, um, okay to joke with because humor is sort of a limited, um, commodity.
And a lot of people don't, don't have the capacity to understand it.
Um, so we use your old fashioned, um, your comedy face, um, for those of us that still, um, appreciate and respect the, um, the, the art form of comedy.
Um, you know, it's sort of lost, but it does have its, its place.
Um, there are other like, uh, family markers, um, you know, like the, the, um, the ancient llama.
Yes, yes, and I believe the llama meant musical, right?
Um, it, it sort of, they were, they were the com, the co, composers, um, not necessarily.
Podcast Summary
Key Points:
Lieutenant Commander Meow Meow transports a human from 2016 to 2425 to learn about different species, and introduces a guest named Ivy Legion Six, a member of a species that relies on ink and body markings for identity and social bonding.
The species faces a war due to secret ink mining from other planets, and their culture centers around preserving traditional writing and comedy through symbolic drawings, such as angry faces and knives, which serve as family and humor markers.
The use of ink and quills is deeply cultural and essential for communication, despite being outdated by advanced technology, reflecting a value for tradition and personal expression that contrasts with the technological efficiency of 2425.
Summary:
S. Thrifty, Lieutenant Commander Meow Meow, introduces a guest from a distant era—a human from 2016—into the year 2425 as part of a cultural learning experience. The guest, Ivy Legion Six, belongs to a species that still relies on ink and traditional writing for identity and communication.
Their society is in conflict with other planets over secret ink mining, which threatens their stability. Ink is not used for writing words or letters in the conventional sense, but rather as a form of visual symbolism; angry faces and knives represent family affiliations and humor, which is a rare and valued cultural commodity. The species uses body markings, like the ancient llama symbol, to denote social roles—such as musical composition—emphasizing tradition and personal connection.
Despite technological advances in 2425, the species holds onto these practices as a way to preserve identity and community. The conversation highlights the irony and nostalgia of 2016-era habits, like pen use, and critiques the mocking attitude toward them. It also touches on the historical tendency of humans to be paranoid, which may have contributed to past societal collapse—though this is later acknowledged as a spoiler and temporarily removed from the discussion.
Ultimately, the exchange underscores the importance of cultural respect and the value of preserving traditions, even in the face of technological progress.
FAQs
Ivy Legion Six is from a planet that is currently at war due to an ink scarcity issue. They are secretly mining ink from other planets to survive.
Ink is essential for communication and cultural identity. They still use quills and ink for writing, especially to preserve traditions and teach children the art of writing.
They use ink-based symbols, such as angry faces and knives, to mark their bodies and identify which family members can share jokes or humor, as humor is a rare and limited resource.
They use stylized images like angry faces and knives, which serve as family-specific markers for shared jokes. This form of expression is deeply tied to their cultural identity and social bonds.
Yes, despite advanced technology, the human tradition of using pens and handwriting is preserved and appreciated by some species as a symbol of cultural heritage and authenticity.
They believe it's disrespectful to mock their historical use of pens and ink, which they see as a meaningful and valuable part of their identity and culture.
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