theclipper_tlv | 004. video/spam

[He settles himself on a sofa in a corner of the common area, along the very base of the tree, and lifts his wrist to a comfortable level to smile at the camera. He's done this before. It's performative as fuck, and he doesn't enjoy it, but it's past time that he got over his sulk and started getting people motivated here.]

Good morning, Clipper! Some of you I know and some of you are strangers, but we can welcome one more lovely day on this new boat together regardless. To the strangers: Zhao Yunlan! Formerly of the Barge, and even more formerly of Dragon City's Special Investigations Department.

I thought I'd take this opportunity to talk to all of you about happiness. Peace. Indeed, justice itself -- because I'm sorry to say I think our dear Nurse's head is not in the right place on those topics, and we could all get some better results with just a little change of perspective.

Anger, you see, is the natural response to injustice! Think back to the last time in your life you got real peeved -- what caused that emotion? I bet you were thinking, That's just wrong, or You can't treat me like that, or How could you do that?

It's a powerful feeling, and don't get me wrong, it sure as heck can be misdirected and cause some real harm in the world.

But the true cure for anger is to gather the strength to go after injustice. Not listening to happy music and putting on a smile. You know it as well as I do! Don't you feel that anger lingering in your heart as long as the wrong goes unfixed?

[He grins at the camera, sharp.]

Who ever repaired a wrong just by saying they were fine?

[And with a grand gesture of his free hand:]

I open the discussion! How do we make a better world? How can we improve this good ship?

Spam

[Zhao Yunlan spends most of his first week either moping in his room or moping generally around the ship. He'll participate in his assigned shifts, but he's hopeless in the kitchen and hopeless at custodial work, outside of the truly unskilled tasks like emptying garbage cans and hauling buckets of soapy water.

Once he's gotten his week of uselessness out of his system, he's choosing to become aggressively involved. Expect him to plop down next to you on the couch and strike up a conversation, Barge transfers and Clipper natives alike. He'll volunteer to tell stories at storytime, and launch into tales of war or murder investigations past if he's able to take the mic. He'll... be stuck washing dishes on every kitchen shift, because he doesn't seem to have the least idea of which flavors can safely go together and which ones will create a heart-rending abomination of a dish.

Sometimes, after the evening storytime but before it's late enough to sleep, he can be found leaning on the railing and staring up at the treehouse and the useless, opaque ceiling above it, lollipop stem jutting aggressively from his lips, expression very far away.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ There's a few options there but- ]

One of my titles is 'Godslayer'.

Edited 2022-08-27 01:26 (UTC)

I take it that's not a figurative title? So, plenty of raw power to sling around-- normally, anyway?

Not at all figurative. And I like to think I didn't sling it around. That's usually more trouble than its worth.

I speak only of the capacity for slinging, not the actuality. [He's making his tone a little bit over-dramatic, and tossing Garion a sidelong smile.]

So - mind if I ask what kinds of things you can do here? I assume the ship limits you more than a little.

Just a little.

[ And he steps back a little before breathing out slowly. Then he looks at his hand for a moment, closes his eyes, and there might be a soft bell-like sound as a small flower appears between his fingers, one that has a smell like the beginning of summer and whatever lovely, floral scent would give someone the most comfort.

He'll hold it out for Yunlan. ]

[Yunlan blinks, wipes the remnants of suds off his hands onto his pants, and reaches out with a cupped hand to take the flower from Garion.]

You... manifest flowers?

[Hell of a comedown from slaying gods. But the flower - he takes a sniff of it - is lovely.]

[ That's a soft chuckle and he'll nod, sure, but- ]

That flower didn't exist before I made it for my cousin Adara. But apparently, the smell of the flower is actually a cure for any poison you care to name.

It's as harmless as something comes. So I can still make it here.

How about that. [Soft, and genuinely impressed. He offers the flower back to Garion.]

So that's the dividing line, huh? Whether there's a combat application?

[ He shakes his head and holds a hand up. Nah, you keep it. It helps alleviate stress and ill feelings. If he wasn't a patient, he'd be a lot more willing to make such things. ]

Whether it can cause harm. I can turn into a bunny... but not a wolf.

Thanks. [Yunlan hesitates for a moment, and then tucks the flower with care into his shirt pocket, the delicate petals peeking out where they won't be crushed.]

So when we say harm, we're talking strictly physical injury type harm here. How's your adorable Disney songbird transformation chops?

[Does he have versatility in forms? That could do a lot.]

The only birds I know are hawks and owls. I suppose I could try a wren but my singing doesn't get better no matter what form I'm in.

The best I can do is howl as a wolf.

I was thinking more, fluttering up to keep an eye on things, but-- [He shrugs.]

Hawks and owls both count as too dangerous, I imagine?

Absolutely.

But I can keep an eye out without that. I usually do.

[ Someone has never gotten over his busybody tendencies. ]

Used to watching for trouble, huh, Garion?

[ Someone headed off two different coups before he turned fifteen and spent most of those years hiding from enemy wizard priests, political enemies, bandits, kidnapping attempts, and the occasional religious zealot.

...he also made friends with a different religious zealot, but that involved more ignoring than attention and quite a lot of patience.]

I've never been one to end up in boring situations. You?

Ah well, I can't say I've never been in a boring situation, but I keep an eye out for trouble professionally.

[He shoots Garion a crooked smile.]

Cop.

[ He's been here long enough to know what that is. What that means. It makes him chuckle. ]

King.

Among other things. So... same.

Oof. My condolences.

If the amount of paperwork I get at my level of responsibility is any guide... that's a difficult gig you have, Garion.

[ ...he is so glad that Yunlan understands. Aldur bless him. ]

You're not wrong. Not. wrong. at all. If there's one thing I appreciate about this place, it's the lack of paperwork.

I can imagine.

... Though, honestly, I would appreciate better record-keeping as a general rule on all these ships. Much as I hate report writing, they're a decent resource when you need 'em.

I'm of two minds about it.

[ He'll focus a little on the cleaning before he explains that. ]

Words give things shape and definition. Depending on the person who's using the words, they can be weapons or they can be healing tools. Information can be used in plenty of ways. And while I see it being a net positive in a place like the one I've heard you came from? It's a little more complicated here.

True enough. And there's plenty of debate about who ought to have what information back where we came from, too!

But it does seem like there's a lot less dedication towards actually helping people and a lot more emphasis on shutting down any bad behavior around here.

[ He'll nod. ]

Got it in one.

It's a justification for 'treatment' that someone might not have otherwise.

Though it seems like if anyone wants to haul a 'patient' down to the basement for some happy music and happy drugs, they can get away with it with fairly minimal justification.

The Assistants are more concerned about people than it might appear, the good ones anyway. If a good one calls out a bad one, a written report can act like a third party and break a tie.

How depends on the Assistant's report.

Like I said: double edged sword. I see the benefit and the problems with it, but I also see the problems weighing more heavily.

Re: Kitchen

wildguardian - 2022-08-30 03:29 (UTC) - Expand

why_me - 2022-08-30 04:42 (UTC) - Expand

wildguardian - 2022-08-31 01:57 (UTC) - Expand