teenwonder | ᴙ 06 [Action/Written]

[Missions are stupid. They're harrowing and dangerous and only ever give volunteers a glimpse into the world outside the Luceti compound. And Robin's spent a month working in one, providing services for evil people and feeling dirty the entire time.

So naturally there's an experiment when he gets back. Because of course there's an experiment. It's hard to research current events with all the chaos happening everywhere, leaving Robin feeling painfully uninformed in terms of his usual ~~stalking~~ accuracy.

It's customary for Robin to filter things when he uses the journal. It's a tool of their captors, and important to keep as low of a profile as possible when utilizing its services. The problem he hasn't quite realized yet is that the journal has helpfully autocorrected the spelling in his proper names, effectively breaking the filters and leaving his messages open for all to see. It's annoying and something he's having difficulty fixing. How nice to be back in Luceti.]

[(Broken) filter to Aang]
Sorry for cleaving without notice. Hack now. We can lick up your training when you're ready.

[(Broken) filter to Cyborg]
Hey Cubist,
Seems lime you're here. Don't bitter looking for me. Ill be around.

[....Okay, that didn't go well at all. He'll huff and try to make a beeline for Community House 5 instead, sidestepping the chaos overtaking most of town. He might get sidetracked through someone's garden or by colliding into an exceptionally frantic person-running-late, but eventually he'll make it back to his apartment.

He might make a few door-related missteps though. Apologies if he's stepped into your bathroom or out of your bedroom closet.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Whatever, dude, when you have a granddaughter or two show up in the village, you tell her that gender stuff is weird 8|.

She just nods.]

I had some time to talk to one of the Malnosso Security Forces while we were on the draft. He had a few interesting things to say.

[Oh, he's definitely not living long enough to procreate. Robin made peace with that a long time ago.]

Oh yeah? Like what?

[See, that's what we call a "self-fulfilling prophecy." 8|]

Like all of the MSF is volunteer. Specialist Davis said he'd only been here for twenty-five years. He was kept in an enclosure before he joined their security forces.

[NOPE that's what we call "realism."]

So they're all traitors. That's good to know.

[Blink. That wasn't the impression she'd taken away from that conversation at all, Robin, what even--]

Why would you say that?

You said it yourself. They're volunteer forces using their rank to get away from their prisons. They're selling out their fellow captives.

No, that's not what I said. They're volunteering to stand against the Third Party, that's not betraying the people that they were imprisoned with any more than you going on a mission was betraying me. I don't even know if the enclosures stay active after they start taking volunteers.

My mission was for reconnaissance. It's not the same thing.

How do you know?

I just know. [GDI Katara why do you have to challenge him about everything? Just let a man obsess in peace.]

No you don't.

[She seems unperturbed by his denial.]

That's just the point. There's so little that we know. We don't know why they're working for the Malnosso any more than we know their final goals with the experiments or just which part of the organization wanted to kidnap Catherine.

You're splitting hairs.

We're not going to get out of here by cooperating with their kind. You're making assumptions to make yourself feel better. [And so is he, but the assumptions that involve not trusting people are always preferable.]

No, I'm making assumptions that make sense. There's no excuse for what the scientists do to us, but the MSF are fighting the Cultists. And even though we're locked in here, and they run experiments on us, we've still got more in Luceti than I ever had at home. The Cultists are the one who want to kill all of us.

Don't start developing Stockholm Syndrome on me. There is nothing good about what we do or do not have here. A cage is still a cage.

[Sigh.]

Robin, I know that. Don't you think I know that? Even if I have no idea what "Stockhom Syndrome" is, I haven't forgotten where we are or what happens to us. But there's a tremendous difference between being kept in a cage like this one and shoved underground without food and water. I would know. All I'm saying is that we have to accept that at least some of what they're telling us is true. The Third Party is out to kill everyone and they're trying to stop it.

[He crosses his arms and gives Katara a level stare.]

Stockholm Syndrome is when people are kept captive long enough that they start to go along with it. They think it's not as bad as it could be, until eventually they prefer staying prisoners.

If you start helping them, or accepting what they feed you, that's the first step.

We all accept what they feed us, that's the point. [It makes her stomach twist a little, just to think about it.] We don't have to do hardly anything to take care of ourselves.

[She sighs a little.]

It's disturbing. But just because it's a giant trap and we're prisoners here doesn't mean that the threat from the Cultists is any less real.

ᴙ 06 [Action/Written]

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[ action ] /pretends it's two weeks ago

[ action ] we can pretend handwave a conclusion, if you like!

[ action ] considering Robin's track record of alienating friends this might not be a terrible plan

[ action ] WELL NOW WE MIGHT HAVE TO KEEP GOING if just so they can talk it out

[ action ] Katara is so patient D:

[ action ] the saddest thing: after her current mission she's going to be back in Robin's camp here