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

Sorry, sorry, let's stop and go back just a bit -- stalked the rest of their life?

[He's stopped mid-scrub, standing like a statue as he holds the sponge in one hand and the half-washed plate in the other, slowly dripping suds into the sink.]

[ He pauses as well and looks over. ]

No one told you?

[ He's going to reach over to start cleaning some of the plates as he explains. ]

The Nurse checks in on people once they leave here. Makes sure they don't need her 'special' help anymore. And if you do?

If you do... you get to come back for a refresher course, huh?

[Oh, fuck no.]

[ That's a quick nod. ]

I can handle that. But the kids? They don't even realize what it means.

[ He shakes his head. ]

And even if they did, it wouldn't change it.

I can't say I'm a real big fan of the idea. But you're right, hitting kids with that kind of surveillance for the rest of their lives is just wrong.

[ He just nods, because he has feelings about it, but he can't get into it without starting to get angry. They don't deserve to go in circles their entire lives. And if they did, what the hell did he do everything for? ]

The person running your old boat: they didn't do anything like that, did they?

No. It's my second time on the ship, but I chose to come both times -- there wasn't any bullshirt about being dragged back because I violated the terms of my parole.

[ There's a quick nod. ]

It's pretty awful, given the 'terms'.

No one lives their whole life with a song in their heart, and I don't think feeling like you're forced to is any way to live.

I had enough pressure when I was young. This would have been the last straw.

I'll be honest, I like the occasional opportunity to yell at dipstuffs these days, but if I'd been pulled here when I was a teenager I would be throwing punches at everyone on the Clipper.

I try to keep my fists to myself. [ Given what he'd said-] Most of the time. But you're not the only one who had to grow into that.

The kids here might be a little odd, but they're all pretty good.

Mostly.

The ones I've met have seemed pretty decent, so far.

If you see a blond girl, goes by Riley?

Careful with that one.

[A thoughtful pause.]

Curly hair?

[ That's a slower nod. ]

So if, hypothetically, she was my current Assistant, how worried should I be about it?

[ That's a hand wobble.]

...stay in public areas. And make sure someone has an eye on you at all times.

I'll keep an eye out.

That's not encouraging at all! Give a man a hint, Garion, what exactly should I be looking out for?

Just don't give her any reason to think that you're not cooperating.

Trust me on that. Telling you anything else will just make you jumpy and she'll practically smell it.

I'm a good liar.

[Flatly.]

And let me tell you what makes me jumpy, Garion - getting vague warnings but no concrete details about what I should look out for.

And I'm giving you what I've got. The warning I got was... vague. But I trust the source more than anyone or anything I've ever known.

[A long sigh.]

Well, if you don't have any more info than that, I guess I can't exactly push! But let me tell you, I really wish you did.

I'll stay out of her way.

If I get any more, you'll be the first to know. But I'm a little cut off by this place, unfortunately.

... Oh, yeah? Are we talking a power that gets you extra information, or a decent whisper network?

[He sounds mildly interested.]

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