revivalproject | Network: Video

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Network: Video

[ The video opens with a fairly standard head and shoulders shot of Drake, who seems to have made himself comfortable at a desk or counter of some sort in the research building. The lighting is much dimmer than the bright flourescent of a regular lab setting, but workable and almost pleasantly ambient. He has a few small desk lamps and behind him are various machines and computers - or at least they look like computers, a few of which seem to be on, as they blink out different colored patterns in the background. There are screens and dials and big, boxy looking equipment scattered around, and who knows if any of it works or what they're meant to do.

He looks annoyed, as per usual.]

Hello! If I could have your attention for just a moment. I don't mean to interrupt everyone's happy fun times, but -

A beach party?!

Really? Right now? That's the response that a threat of this magnitude gets? Did you all miss how insidiously pervasive that complete memory stamp was? Or how it went on for a month, and would have gone on longer if the Agrii hadn't broken through?

Miss Starling wasn't too happy with me for expressing an admittedly prematurely low opinion of you all when I suggested that the ship might be too full of finger paints and coloured pipe cleaners to fit necessary equipment I wanted to bring back from Coruscant.

Well, friends, this idiocy is exactly what I meant. Thank you for confirming that I may as well be on a planet inhabited by talking ficus plants. This is-is-it's...I have never seen this level of incompetence and irresponsibility after such a direct, powerful, multifaceted attack.

I'm trying to find out what caused it and how to prevent it from happening again. And I expected the same or better of everyone else.

Mr. Kaplan provided a list of names of some people who were here during the time a race called the Atroma were present. He thinks they might have had a hand in amplifying the effects of his abilities. So if anyone knows a...

[ He looks down and a scrap of paper comes into view]

...Wanda, a...Soldier? Lance, and Keith? please send them my way, I need to have a chat. Or if you're listening, feel free to get back to me here or leave a message.

If any of you have even the barest hint of a sense of self-preservation, I would appreciate some help. I would ask elsewhere, trust me, but apparantly everyone's lost their minds and there's no one left who isn't a sudden hippy with the memory of a goldfish.

And by the way. The mobile analytic laboratory probe is ready for field work. You're welcome.

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I have already gone through something similar. Except it was an automated system. Almost an AI. And I know of another team that went through something even more similar, except it was for the purpose of maintaining an unwitting labor force.

I've got the highest security level available in my country, so I hope you'll understand why I've tried to develop a habit of not chatting too idly about work, and why I don't have any social media accounts. If I note enough similarities with an incident that's been successfully overcome, I'll be sure to mention it.

As for the Network... [He rubs his eyes tiredly.] Honestly... God, that seems stupid. My fault. I assumed it was a secure network because that makes sense.

Why isn't Communications already on this?

Nevermind. I'll think of something. But I'll have you know I haven't shat talked any aliens.

The probe? Well me, of course, it's remote controlled from my tablet. Had to write a whole bloody interface program just to manage left and right, not to mention all the extra instruments on it. I'll be happy to show whoever's interested how to use it, but...

[He holds up his tablet to show an image of some sample telemetry]

...it's not all point and click, first-person-shooter style joystick gaming, there is data to parse. I'm working on a heuristic algorithm to translate telemetry automatically.

[He frowns suspiciously]

Has a huge...mech, what is that, a machine? -crashed into your town?

See, lead with THAT next time instead of "I'm soooooo much smarter than you guys." Nobody wants to trust a smug douchebag.

Hey, we all make mistakes. And that was just an example so you'd understand.

You think this might help us understand more about the storms and shit?

[Kyle shrugs nonchalantly.] Yeah, like a huge robot thing. My town got trashed by lots of shit.

Well I'm awfully sorry I come off that way, but there are much more important things at stake than a bloody popularity contest.

...and shit. Yes, well, it was originally built for environmental analysis. I don't know how well it'll stand up to an "energy storm," but with the added instruments, it can relay information about atmospheric conditions in addition to a variety of energy readings, radio transmissions, and radiation levels.

And...no one thought to move to another town after that?

It's important if you need people to trust you. Which you do.

Dude, that's sweet.

No, of course not. It's not like things stop being stupid because you changed location. My family moved to San Francisco for a little while and we all almost died there too, so. Might as well stay, you know?

D'you know who was really nice? Described as pleasant, even kind? Adolf Hitler. Ted Bundy. Stalin. All of them were just the loveliest until they starting murdering people. You'd think by now, it'd be pretty commonly understood not to associate niceness with trustworthiness.

[At the low-key compliment, Drake pauses and looks genuinely surprised.]

It is? ... Well yes, I...suppose it is.

[cough]

Bad luck follow you often, then?

[Kyle bristles immediately.] Seriously? Seriously? [Breathe, Kyle.] Okay. Firstly, you're using one of the dumbest, most reddit level arguments there because you could find just as many examples of people who weren't total assholes who WERE trustworthy. Secondly: you already know you're wrong - people don't understand that. They've proven it over, and over, and over. I'm not saying it's a good thing, I'm saying it is what it is.

Thirdly... are you Jewish? I'm Jewish. Polish. Tommy and Billy are Romani Jews. You seriously wanna lecture us on how Hitler wasn't actually nice?

Yeah, it is. You're clearly not stupid, dude.

I guess so? I dunno, it's just how stuff is.

Edited (html fail) 2021-07-08 19:30 (UTC)

[Drake rubs his eyes tiredly]

Of course there are lovely nice people who're also trustworthy. My point is that there're also lovely nice people who aren't. My point is that correlation isn't causation. Nice and good have nothing to do with each other and people have known that for a very very long time.

[He gestures with both hands.] Just look at fairy tales like Red Riding Hood or the idiom about a wolf in sheep's clothing.

And - Jewish? Why on earth is that relevant? Hitler was just one example among several. If it makes you feel better, one of my relatives died in a Soviet camp under Stalin.

Ah. Well. Thank you. Seems an unpopular opinion, though, so...watch your back.

[Drake raises his eyebrows, looking nonplussed. That's certainly the way it was for him and the people he worked with, but they were operating a top secret military facility and regularly encountered hostile aliens, combat zones, unfamiliar and often dangerous technology, etc. How was that just the way it was for this kid?]

......right. Anything like that seem uh.........attracted to you here?

And MY point is that if you had any understanding of human behaviour whatsoever, you'd know that the general populace doesn't give a fuck. Hence: don't act like a complete and utter douche canoe if you want people in your corner. I'm not saying it's how it SHOULD be, because I actually hate the idea, but it is how it is.

It's relevant because it's fucking insensitive, and if your relative died that way I'd think you'd be a little more understanding! Damn, dude, are you like... okay, actually, you know what? This might not be your fault. You might actually just be wired differently. Like you honestly don't understand people's emotions or the socially appropriate way to respond to them. Is that how it is?

Why would I have to watch my back?

[The list of terrible things Kyle has seen is vast... but he barely thinks about it, most days.]

I'd make a crack about finding another sociopath to argue with, but I don't think you are. You're not nearly charming enough. Why, you worried if I come hang out with you a bunch of evil turkeys are gonna swarm us?

[ A blankness falls across Drake's face, and although his heart is pounding in his ears, he doesn't so much as twitch an eyebrow, despite how the remark unexpectedly stung. When he does speak next, it's quiet, with a practiced evenness. ]

It was a long time ago. Poor blighter was a communist idealist, moved to Russia and got married. Since that made him a Soviet citizen, he wasn't permitted to leave.

Now that...that's just a random example. Are you familiar with the phrase 'No Irish need apply' in your country? I have the benefit of detatchment that the lens of time affords. There's no point in being sensitive about it.

And there's no reason not to use people who seemed alright but did horrendous things as an example of how people can seem alright but do horrendous things. Offering an analysis of variables involved in past atrocities is clinical and, lest history repeat itself, necessary. Not insensitive.

Dude, that's awful. Like truly fucking horrible, how are you not still upset by that? It isn't fair.

I know it was something they used to say to immigrants, back in the day in places like New York. I imagine it was worse in like, England, since the countries have a long history of fighting. So, have I ever had that said to me, personally? No. But I've been told, lemme think... Jews have no rhythm, we can't play paladins in D&D, we all have a secret stash of gold, that we killed Christ obviously, that we're going to hell, we're greedy and sneaky... You want me to go on? Five days outta seven, from age five to eighteen, I'd go to the bus stop and be greeted with "hey, Jew," or some variation thereof.

Oh, and someone once dressed up as Hitler and got a bunch of people to march down my town's main street chanting in German.

So you've got "the lens of time." Awesome, good for you. And I'm not exactly unused to people giving me shit about things, either.

But I still don't think that trying to argue that "whatever, being an asshole is FINE because people thought Hitler was nice" is either effective or appropriate. Besides which, if we're done comparing how much we've both been seen how shitty people are? You completely and totally ignored my REAL argument, ie: being a total douche, like it or not, will affect how people respond to your message. You don't gotta like it or agree with it - like I said, I agree it sucks - but you can't ignore the fucking fact of it.

Well, I mean, you DID ignore it, and now nobody wants to listen to you no matter HOW smart you might be. And I'm here talking to you and feeling like an ass because I think you mean well, in spite of mounting evidence that you don't, that you obviously lack human empathy.

I'm not mad about it because it's been resolved. You know the Soviet Union fell, yeh? And my career began with a five year contract on an American military base and SAP level clearance.

[ While he's admitting that he hasn't experienced direct discrimination as an adult, he does not mention that he was discriminated against as a child. That he was bullied and made the subject of endless potato jokes because his family was both Irish and> poor. Mostly because he doesn't think it's anyone's business, and a little bit because he doesn't want any sympathy. ]

I've never seen the point in social conventions. They're disingenuous at best, and a dangerous waste of time at worst. The rest of my team was better at establishing relations. I was only there to solve problems and I preferred to be left to it.

It did. Doesn't make the trauma vanish.

[It's sympathy he'd get, too - Kyle's a bit of a bleeding heart.]

And that's great that it worked there, but clearly not so much here. Dude. I'm trying to help, do you get that?

Someone else's trauma. I've got enough scars of my own, thanks. I don't need anyone else's generational oppression on top of it.

Oh, right, of course. Because threats of physical violence always help.

[He offers a flat, pointed look that's on the verge of being an eyeroll]

Doesn't mean it's not there.

[He has the good grace to look chagrined.]

Yeah, okay, point. Sorry, dude.

[For a second, there, as Drake uncrosses his arms with a small, concerned frown, he looks completely taken off guard. It's a look usually reserved for when things don't go the way his calculations predicted they would and often accompanied by a, 'this can't be right!' It's very brief and followed up by looking off to the side. What's immediately clear is that he wasn't expecting an apology, but what might be suspected by someone good at reading faces is that he's also a little uncomfortable with it.]

Right. Uh - Thanks.

[awkward pause]

Anyway. You're welcome to all the anti-Irish trauma you fancy. I don't personally see the point in carrying it around.

It's cool, dude. [Kyle has spent most of his life embroiled in frenemy-ships - he knows apologies are hard for both parties.]

Nah, I'm good. I've got a triple whammy of mockable shit already.

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cw: anti-semitism

Re: cw: anti-semitism

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