[Video] Kazoo 16

[ayao]

Forgive me for being...selfish...

And I warn you, the subject matter of my question might be sensitive...

[But why not make this inquiry here rather than in his world where it would surely bring negative repercussions.]

What are your thoughts on two men being in a relationship? [He doesn't dare say married, but he is drawn to the idea.] Do you perceive it as...wrong? Should the men instead continue their respective lines with wives?

[Heirs are important. Yet can they not be had in other ways? Of course said ways are illegal and immoral in the land he knows.]

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[ayao]

And you...will not procreate...with anyone? [Any woman, he means.] I believe in those circumstances, I would have a child or two of my own. Two hundred is...not enough.

[Two hundred isn't sustainable. Meng Yao would probably sow his seed in multiple women just to see the numbers grow.]

I see now that I buried much of my resentment. It harmed me and did little damage to him.

[10billionpercent]

No. [ He confirms again. ] I'm an asexual. I don't think I could muster the interest long enough to do that. There's more than just the physical to human reproduction and sexuality. It won't be that way forever, we can revive the statues, we just need to build the infrastructure so we don't wake them to die of starvation later.

[ayao]

How did so many become statues? [Asexual? What is that? He fears offending him by asking.]

[10billionpercent]

That's fascinating, actually, one day 3700 years ago give or take, a green light covered the planet and petrified all of the humans. Presumably it came from outer space, but I do know it's scientific in nature, what the device looks like and how it works. That's as far as I've gotten. The problem is that all of that civilization is gone. It's just wilderness. So our village is running at capacity for a gathering society. [ He likes questions in general, he's not the type to get offended anyway, but he's happy to ramble on about weird scientific phenomena. ]

[ayao]

Any memories of those civilizations must be gone too. Thousands of years will erase nearly everything. [Except precious fragments. Will it be enough?] Forgive me for asking, but what does asexual mean? I have not heard that terminology.

[10billionpercent]

Ah, that's right. The few people in the village who are not from the past like I am, have no memory of the things of the past. I'm just that old. [ He knows he doesn't look it. ]

It's fine. It means that I don't appear to have the capcity to be sexually attracted to anyone. I'm not interested in women in any capacity, but I could be in a romantic relationship with a man, and am, I'm just not sexually attracted to him. It's likely a part of how my brain developed before I was born.

[ayao]

How is that possible? Were you transformed into a statue too? [And freed?] No, you look quite young.

Romance is tied so intricately with sex that I...

I cannot entirely relate with what you might feel. I suppose if I loved someone, I could and would abstain.

[10billionpercent]

That's right. I broke free after 3719 years on my own, then worked to come up with the formula to break other people free. Humanity can't survive on a handful of people. [ He hums. ] I was sixteen when I was petrified which was about 3739 years ago to me, although it's been four years since I woke up so I'm physically about twenty.

[ He nods in agreement. ] I wasn't terribly interested in engaging in a romantic relationship either, however we have our own chemistry. I'm sure Gen takes care of his needs by doing whatever it is he feels he has to do, although I don't think he sleeps with anyone else. [ It had been a concern to him too, but if Gen's willing to live with how things are, then, he can't decide that for him. ]

[ayao]

It must be...very strange for you. I'm not sure how you have handled it. [He would be mentally broken. Perhaps it's true that some are simply born to be heroic.]

There are plenty of ways to see to those needs. If his heart is full, that is all that truly matters.

[10billionpercent]

I'm mostly very very stubborn. [ He wouldn't consider himself a hero, no, just a scientist when the world desperately needs one. ]

I believe that's the case. He seems to be very happy with the whole thing, regardless of that factor.

[ayao]

I often find that trait in many who are brave. [Usually stubborn for the good of others and not themselves.]

The physical doesn't matter nearly as much, though it can be highly enjoyable.

[10billionpercent]

I'll take brave, sure. I'm not afraid of many things.

[ He chuckles a little bit. ] Like you have difficulty understanding me, I have difficulty understanding that as well. For me, not so much, when it comes to enjoying the physical.

[ayao]

I'm envious!

[Meng Yao gives him a small smirk. And, yes, this next part is a tease.] Are you certain you just haven't found the right partner?

[10billionpercent]

Very. After all I'm not going to find someone I love more than my fiance, I think. [ He's surprised he found him, he's not sure how all that happened. ]

[ayao]

Love isn't always essential for pleasure. [He admits quietly.] Experience can take its place for a few moments.

I grew up in a brothel, you see.

[10billionpercent]

I did have the internet when I was younger, I'm aware of the casual nature of sex and pleasure, at least to a point. [ He considers that for a moment. ]

What did you think of that? I'm sure you learned a lot about human sexuality. [ It's a topic he doesn't know that much about, outside of biology textbooks, admittedly. ]

[ayao]

Is that...pictures? Videos? [While those can be graphic, they are not quite the same.]

I loved being near my mother, but I hated what was done to her. [Yes, he witnessed far too much at a young age. Meng Shi tried her best for him, but in the end, the profession claimed her life.]

[10billionpercent]

Yes, it was both of those things, if you wanted to look for it. Most teenagers reach that point in development and do look for curiosity's sake. It was more of an intellectual curiosity for me, I didn't find it terribly appealing. [ He looked once or twice and decided there were more important things to find on the internet like science. ]

That's unfortunate. I can use my imagination. [ He looks a bit grim at that. ] I don't think much of people who do such things with the intent on hurting others. [ He's a pacifist at heart. ]

[ayao]

Images - moving or not - are cold and stale. Actual touch is warm and soft. [Or hot and wet. He figures the first description would be more appealing.]

Using others is never acceptable. Yet men and women get away with doing it constantly. I suppose that's why I thought so highly of nobility. They had the power my mother lacked.

[10billionpercent]

That's true. I'm sure if I should ever change my mind on the matter, or feel inspired, my future husband will be willing to entertain my experimentation in that department.

Nobility is essentially meaningless. That kind of power can be taken away in a heartbeat. [ In his world, that's how it is. ] I'm the chief of the village, so that gives me power over the people that remain. I'm still answerable to them. If they decide they don't like what I'm doing, I'm sure they won't hesitate to kill me. There would be nothing I could do, either.

There are definitely people who do cruel things, and that seems to be universal, but hopefully there are more people who don't.

[ayao]

Being touched is precious. It need not be sexually fulfilling. [He has spent years alone, longing for gentleness; longing for someone to hold him - or let him hold them. He is sure just about anyone could benefit from contact.]

I pray the future for my world is different. The nobility hold too much power and the poor suffer for it. [Instead of becoming part of the problem, Meng Yao is trying to be part of the solution. Even if it frightens him to stand against those he used to idolize.]

I'm not sure.

[10billionpercent]

That much we have figured out. [ He has difficulties in that area too, but Gen's figured him out so they have no real trouble in that area. It's all about how he's touched that seems to be the issue. ]

It sounds awful, to make people suffer. I don't like suffering. I like how our community is now, much more than some of the things from the past, where there were distinct social classes like that. I know, however, as we expand population, it will become a sticking point again. It's just too bad.

[ayao]

Humans are ambitious. They like to give into their lusts and their pride. As your community grows, be vigilant of that. Give reprimands where they are needed and perhaps the social classes will not be so discernible.

[When the rich are so rich that they are surrounded by gold and the poor are so poor that they can't get enough to eat, there is a real problem.]

[10billionpercent]

They are ambitious. I'm ambitious. [ He'll openly admit that. ] It's not power I seek, but knowledge.

[ He will give an appropriate bow of his head. ] I'll take your words to heart. I'm equally as disinterested in that kind of outcome as humanity recovers. I'd rather everyone be able to have a safe and honest living.

[ayao]

With knowledge, you will grow wiser. Ambitious fools close their eyes to the truth and refuse to expand their minds. [He is ashamed he grows into such a fool.]

You will be a good leader. I will pray for you.