lastvoyages Inbox

[forensicks]

[Walter has recorded a video message from the point of view of someone who has just come through the door into his cabin and sees Walter at his desk in the chair turned around to face the viewer. He gives a little salute-wave.]

Didn't get me. But nice try.

Comments

[forensicks]

So, you know, a social experiment where prisoners are detained both with extremely short sentences and with cruel and unusual punishments... would be problematic?

[It's not the first time he's used this exact framing.]

[abrightboy]

If it were meant to be a justice system, absolutely.

[forensicks]

[LOUD SIGH OF FRUSTRATION]

[abrightboy]

I understand that it frustrates you that this isn't as simple as "you did X, so your punishment is Y", because that would mean you would know what you have to do or how long you have to wait to go home. But look at it this way: this is meant to be a journey of self-discovery, so that you can learn what brings you misery and what brings you genuine joy and you can go back to your life in a way that makes living it more satisfying than it was the first time. And there's not a set amount of time or a set 'punishment' that can make you learn that. You can resist looking into yourself and I think you largely have, because you consider it drinking the Kool-Aid, but you're the one prolonging your time here, in that case.

[forensicks]

[Longer, more frustrated sigh.]

Yeah. I am a bad person. I am the problem. Is that what you want to hear? Because "criminal gets to just move on and live a satisfying life" is drinking the Kool-Aid. I know that because... Whatever. I obviously don't know anything.

[abrightboy]

You're not a bad person. You wouldn't be here if you were a bad person. And 'the problem' is... problematic, because you're not the problem, but a problem you have is your choice of perspective. So tell me how you know 'that'.

[forensicks]

There are no bad people here? Citation needed.


But you don't actually want to hear it, do you? You'll just be like, Walter you're mean, wrong, hurting my feelings on purpose, and generally unable to think about anyone but yourself.

[abrightboy]

There are people here who have done bad things. Very bad things. Unforgivable by some metrics. But they don't take people who are unredeemable.

I find your interpretation of my reaction to things you've done and said pretty fascinating. Tell me. Because I do want to hear it.

[forensicks]

[He is still mad about Walter "weaponizing" things!! Walter doesn't think of it that way. He thinks being deceptive and manipulative are different. Well, it's still a good lesson for him to learn that those things are bad.]

Because people who have killed twenty three people for fun don't get better. They don't look inward and figure out what's wrong with them together. Don't you remember? I don't see the line from point A to point B. [tiny pause] Ideally more detail than "I just want to help people" would be nice.

[abrightboy]

That's why I'm pretty reasonably sure my dad would never end up here. He's an irredeemable monster and he's right where he belongs. He killed people for fun and he's not sorry. And I don't want to be him. Is that the sort of detail you were looking for? But you're not him, either. And you are redeemable. And we're going to get you there, however long it takes. Because while I do want to help people, I specifically want to help you, whether that makes sense to you or not.

[forensicks]

[He gapes like a fish. It indeed does not make sense to him. Why? Is this how they get you? By accepting you even though they also make it clear you're a burden? Then, brattishly:]

Collins has killed practically twenty three people for fun here and he graduated like last week.

[abrightboy]

Has he? Keeping a tally is helping you how? Is looking at everyone else giving you any useful information about graduation? Or is it just a way to avoid looking at yourself?

[forensicks]

I figure we can have two problems. We can have an adorkable antihero viewpoint character who occasionally resorts to problematically depraved displays of violence and a supporting cast of maniacs. Am I supposed to just ignore this? Because that's what I've been doing to get through the day.

[abrightboy]

First of all: you take everything I say to an extreme. I'm not saying to ignore everything. But second of all? You don't ignore anything. How many years back have you read through the network to connect the dots of what you think you know?

[forensicks]

You can kill half a dozen people on a murder spree here and go home is an extreme position.

[abrightboy]

Yeah, it is. I think it's bullshit. But ruminating on that constantly isn't going to accomplish anything.

[forensicks]

Cognitive dissonance ahoy...

You're right, I don't ignore things per se. I guess the more precise term would be compartmentalize. You know, decide how to interact with them taking into account that, if they seem to be actively enabling murderers or cheering on the destruction of a community, it's probably just a brainwashing thing and not a sign we can't have a civil conversation about putting away our laundry.

[abrightboy]

But you don't think you sometimes jump to wrong conclusions about people when you learn about them from deducing information from public chats rather than from talking to them?

[forensicks]

Okay, fine. You can start writing me a little bulletin about your approval and disapproval of the Admiral's decisions.

[abrightboy]

Or we could have conversations where you can ask me about individual aspects of things you have problems with and we can talk about them.

[forensicks]

How is that at all different?

[Muffled into his palm something about "upside down, s'm..."]

Well, maybe you can tell me what you think, at least also? Not to mention, again, on top of you actively working for the Admiral, the guiding principle of this place is that he - or some magical principle he set up, I guess - decides when I am done cooking, and no one else. That's it. That's the organization where you want to help people. So yes, as much as I will try not to assume, there's the framework where wardens think he is right about everything, okay?

[abrightboy]

I think you'd be hard pressed to find a majority that think he's right about everything. Anyway, I'm happy to tell you what I think about stuff. I'm opposed to just... dropping you notes. It's not interactive.

When are you going to give me another puzzle?

[forensicks]

You call notes non interactive, and yet you ask for another puzzle. Fascinating.

[abrightboy]

Not for communication. For fun.

[forensicks]

Then of course not!