ataraxion | second text message ✉ video

[ tranquility, you may remember this woman from her first broadcast or from the various times she's popped up in others. those who know her are aware that you could have either gotten a woman who has barely anything on or someone who looks rather put together in whatever she happens to be wearing. the second option is the one she chooses to show off today, dressed in a white suit, with her hair done up in a deceivingly loose bun. off camera her nails are tapping a steady beat like she's waiting for someone before she finally speaks, her tone rather dry to start off with. ]

Since no one felt like stepping up and saying what I'm certain a number of us have considered, I suppose the task falls to me at the moment. [ she pauses, exhaling quietly before continues. ] For those of you who are new, most of what I'm going to mention makes little to no sense, but the basics for understanding what I'm saying lies in knowing that there is a list of certain individuals on this ship that, for all the geniuses we have present on board, no one has figured out the meaning to. The people on this list vary from those who are from the first jump, 001s if we're going by tattoos to those who came aboard on the sixth jump, the 006s, if we are, again, going by tattoos.

I realize that no one wants to perhaps deal with the ramifications of what I'm about to suggest, but avoiding it may prove to be as damaging as letting it out into the open. [ another pause. ] There are eight individuals from the list that have taken their leave of this ship. Considering the fact that the list is comprised of 38 individuals, that is a bit more than twenty percent of it. A slightly distressing number when we're in rather confined space, if you ask me. I realize that only two of the individuals have officially died, but the other six have disappeared without warning, and though it pains me to say it, I believe you can't confirm that they're dead or alive.

I'm certain some of you have already theorized this in private, but in the interest of disclosure, I believe we should share the theory with the metaphorical class. [ her lips curl into a bittersweet sort of smile and then she says it: ] It's beginning to look more and more like it is a hit list. Or at least a list of the individuals the one we call Smiley doesn't necessarily want on the Tranquility, which considering who is on the list, I must say, I'm slightly concerned.

This is just a thought, though. It's probably just a rather unfortunate coincidence.

[ and then there's this really long pause before irene appears to have remembered something that she had meant to say. ]

Just out of curiosity, has anyone figured out how to charge a phone from home on this ship?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Pay attention to word choices. Last minute. I never said anything about preempting anything. Assumptions can trip you up, can't they.

You introduced yourself as Libby before. Shockingly, you aren't the only one who can watch, listen and read. Liberty isn't fitting, my dear.

You're speaking in sentences that you believe are truths. Hotspur had been here since the first jump, and from what you can read, watch, and hear, had people who would care that he wasn't in the pouches. Mr. Mendez, people, or at least a person cared enough to be sad when he died. You place an incredible amount of responsibility for the lives of others into people's hands. I do hate to disillusion you, but there is a reason the phrase, survival of the fittest exists. Sometimes no one will be there to pay attention and make sure you're accounted for.

It's not apathy. It's just what happens. Even if you aren't human, in fact, those who aren't human are even less inclined to care unless they've been programmed to. You have people to rely on, don't you? Tell me, if they left, disappeared, what would you do? I believe, if we're operating under the guide you seem to have, you'll end up dying. How terribly sad.

It's a color that means something. Several somethings actually, but not scary unless you fear anger or passion or life. Or blood if you'e feeling particularly morbid.

It renders you lacking in experience. There is a very large discrepancy between reading, listening and watching and experiencing.

Impressive turn around in the vocabulary. It took away from your argument, I fear, made it seem like you were parroting something someone wanted you to say back at me.

[ She can tell that Libby is mocking, but the problem is, she's mocking someone who only lets those who truly deserve it mock her. Libby isn't someone who deserves it in her mind. No, Libby deserves to be told to shut up. If this makes her shut up, Irene counts it as a definite win. ]

Of course I'd end up dying. That's why I got people. That's why I'd get new people if I had to. And if I lose them, I'll die.

[Because she never had them before, but now she needed them, so she had them. That was the point.

Irene is rapidly ticking off reasons for Shrike to simply disregard this conversation as a wash. She's been here and done all of this before, and it's kind of giddily liberating to not care--]

What I'm saying is this ship is sloppy, and maybe if we spent as much time worrying about that as we did about lists we'd have more living bodies kicking around. But what do I know. I wasn't there.

You talk a lot. But you don't actually say anything. So is there a point to this PSA besides that you maybe didn't read the newcomer manual when it came out? It covers this.

[--she's not going to shut up, because she never shuts up.]

A little girl reliant on others. How...predictable. The dying part is how that comes back to haunt you. But, far be it for me to tell you how to live. Or die. I might have to say I told you so when they turn on you. If some of them haven't already.

[ The fun fact about this conversation is that while it is slightly mind numbing, it's also vaguely useful at the same time. You can tell a lot about a person by the way they respond like this. ]

What you're saying is you think the ship is sloppy. There you go again, parading around a sentence as a statement of fact. You need to learn to rein that in, I'm afraid. Especially since you just implied a bit previously that lists would help us. Do you want us to worry about them or not?

I'm seeing if you actually do read, comprehend and quite possibly draw conclusions. Which, if you think I didn't say anything, you definitely don't. And the manual most definitely doesn't cover what I did say to you. Try again if you want to deflect.

I refuse to believe you can't tell between 'The List' and a crew manifest. Come on. There's treating me like an idiot and then there's making yourself look stupid.

Here's what I've got from what you said that's concrete data and not speculation:

- there's a list of individuals on the ship you think are important
- you think this may be a hit list
- you want to make the new arrivals think about this

That takes about three sentences. Everything else is pretty, but it's not data and it's not evidence, it's parroting. Of course when I state value judgments it's an opinion.

Look, if you're just being pedantic, we can cut this off here before you prove you're only interested in fucking with the newbies and/or looking more clever than a sixteen-year-old.

Now do that thing you do where you nitpick. I'm sure I made just tons of mistakes in phrasing.

Edited 2012-08-11 05:46 (UTC)

I can, but others can't. And truthfully, if anyone happened to make themselves look like an idiot, it would be you. Word choices when talking to anyone is rather important.

Your third point isn't concrete data since I never confirmed that I wanted the new arrivals only to think about it. Furthermore, it's what you think I meant, which makes it speculation.

The pretty, as you called it contains details if you pay attention. Also not parroting.

As for being pedantic, you say that like it's a bad thing. And truth be told, in grand scheme of things, I do believe that a bit pedantic behavior is better than a complete and total turn around in the way an individual speaks. I can pull up instances that I do believe you threw away the general idea of using words in the same stratosphere as pedantic.

As for the rest, you've made that both easy and trust me when I say this is child's play. A fix for a bit of boredom.