Mutable (Part 7) is the seventh part of Chapter 2 in the Fisheye Placebo series and was released to DeviantArt on March 30, 2020.[1]
Character appearances[]
Summary[]
In their dorm room, while Vance sleeps, Frey plays on his violin right next to Vance's bed, causing Vance to be rudely waken up by the screeching noises from the instrument. As Vance throws a pillow at Frey and demands to know what's wrong with him, Frey merely notes he was just congratulating Vance on his work with the paper shreds.
However, this only irks Vance further, who remarks the paper didn't contain any secret information. Frey then points out it wasn't about that, but to see if Vance could pass his test. Annoyed, Vance asks if Frey doubted his skills, but Frey merely states it wasn't his skills he doubted before changing the topic to Vance's lack of Red Cow supply and suggests they head out together so Frey can buy him more.
The two head out and make their way to the store and Vance, busy with his phone, questions if they're going in the right direction as his phone notes they missed the turn, but Frey calmly asserts he knows the place well. As the two pass a homeless man sitting with a sign that says "keep your coins, I want change", Frey stops to look at him but Vance, still occupied with his phone, doesn't notice the man or the stopped Frey and collides right into his roommate. Ignoring Vance, Frey asks the homeless man about his sign, though the man initially inquires if they met before but Frey waves this off.
Shrugging it off, the man tells the two how he used to work for Solar Eye as one of their paid fake commenters who pretended to worship the government, scream fake news, and so forth. While he didn't earn much, it was something and he felt the people who believed the stuff he posted deserved it if they were that stupid. However, that all changed as his daughter, who didn't know what her father did for a living, began to read and believe these lies and one day heard her father insult the chairman, calling him "an orange stuffed bear". She promptly reported him to her teacher, causing him to be fired, plummeting his social credit score, and his wife ended up leaving him and taking their daughter with her. Vance, unsure what to say, asks if they can do anything to help him, but the man just gives him advice to not be a fool like him and to let apathy lead down a path of regret, and while he can't change the past, he can try to change the future.
Trivia[]
- The insult about calling the chairman "an orange stuffed bear" is in reference to China's president, Xi Jinping, who banned any Winnie the Pooh imagery in China after memes started to circulate comparing him with the cartoon character.
- Likewise, the "orange" part could also be a reference to the former United States' president, Donald Trump, who's often poked fun at for his orange spray tan.
- The man's sign is a direct reference to one of Banksy's works.
References[]
- ↑ Fisheye Placebo Ch2 part 7 on DeviantArt