[031. I can take so much. 'Til I've had enough.]

[lydiascreams]

[Open Video]

[Lydia took a break from sitting with Stiles and Kira, watching Scott as he slowly recovers from the death toll. She took Prada for a walk, showered, then got ready to go back to Kira's. But before, she wants to throw a topic out there. It's something that has been on her mind for a while now.

And after her talk with Kira about who hurt Scott and with Steve about who hurt him, after seeing what happened to Souji. After hearing about what Arthas did, she doesn't feel like they can wait any longer.]

I know everyone is still settling back in after the port. That a lot of you are still recovering from deaths and injuries, but I want to open a subject up for discussion.

I feel like there have been a lot more deaths on the barge lately. Both from inmates and wardens. And caused by inmates and wardens. I know a while back someone brought up taking the death toll for granted, and I don't remember what led to that discussion, but I agree.

We're all taking it for granted. If we die, we think we're guaranteed to come back. What if it stops working?

But even more importantly: why are we allowing ourselves to kill each other? Why are we dealing with murder as if there were no consequences?

I understand we don't always have control over our actions, I understand floods happen and we become affected. Infected. We become other people. But they are rare occasions when we're all out of control.

There is always someone around who can see things clearly. There's always someone who can take control and stop the people who are affected from hurting each other.

My suggestion -- and I would love to hear what the Admiral has to say about this -- is for us to find a system, an emergency system, where we can cap everyone's abilities -- human or otherwise, Inmates and Wardens alike -- if they become a threat to anyone. At any given time.

And I'd like to hear opinions everyone else might have on this.

Comments

[mercurialize]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but that's pretty realistic to life.

Even if we had a set of justice here, whatever you think that should be beyond Zero, I don't think it's going to help. Why do you think these people are acting? I don't mean when the barge does something, I mean when they act against others of their own mind.

[lydiascreams]

I don't know what sets them off. I don't imagine it's a specific reason, but several bottled up, and different ones for everyone.

But the fact that someone can get murdered, or nearly destroy the entire barge, and walk away from it with no consequences isn't right. And locking them up in solitary confinement for a week isn't the answer, either.

[mercurialize]

Besides killing them and having them deal with the unpleasantness of returning from the dead, I don't see there being many options for consequences. And we all know what sort of example that would be, anyways.

I know it's not right, it's not fair, but that's just how it is.

[lydiascreams]

How can you just accept it? It just is the way it is?

We can't change who comes and goes, we can't change the floods and the ports. But we can change how we choose to help each other. And how we want to live our lives in here.

[mercurialize]

[Admittedly, that hit a nerve.]

You can make those choices, but don't expect everyone to be grateful about those choices. This is how some are choosing to live their lives here. What you fail to understand is that when someone really believes in what they're doing they don't give a damn about any consequences. They'll put up with the consequences and then come back with vengeance in mind. That's how this works. Forcing help or change onto them is only going to drive them back further. It's going to make it worse.

[lydiascreams]

I do understand that. [She saw it, first hand, with the werewolf who tortured her and made her bring him back to life. Back home.]

But just because it'll make them worse, it doesn't mean it's the wrong way to do this. Some people have to hit rock bottom to start to heal. To make them understand they need the help we're offering.

[mercurialize]

[He rubs his face with his hands for a moment just to breathe and muffle any exasperation.]

Rock bottom to someone with that much conviction looks like martyrdom. Think of it like this. Someone is taking away everything that makes you who you are and putting you in a cell because they think you did something wrong. You might have, but what right do they have to punish you? They do this time and time again. Try to take whatever's left of you away and insist you are wrong and they are right.

And when everything is gone they think they've won.

Are you really going to let them win? Think about it as if you were this person. Not as yourself, stop thinking as yourself.

[lydiascreams]

[She does pause to give this some thought. It's not necessarily easy because Lydia is so focused on rules and morals, but she does think of the mirror barge, and that helps her get a better idea of what it'd be like if the things she knows to be right were considered wrong.]

I'd fight them. I'd want them to tell me why my way is wrong and why I should do what they tell me. I'd want to be proven wrong.

Which is why I'm saying just locking them up won't change anything, we have to show it to them and guide them through change.

[mercurialize]

[She was so close and then ... well, she was closer than he thought she'd get. That's something, perhaps.]

Forget guiding or locking anyone up for two more seconds. What would proof to someone like that that they're wrong? And why should they bother listening to you? Or anyone here for that matter.

[lydiascreams]

[The question makes her pause. Because she knows that 'because it's the only way for them to get home' isn't a good answer.]

Showing them what it can be like if they're willing to listen. In most cases they're alone and angry and scared. We can help with those things.