Kitty Jones (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
rathercommon) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
maskormenace2015-12-04 10:27 am
rathercommon) wrote in maskormenace2015-12-04 10:27 am
Entry tags:
- adam parrish | n/a,
- bart allen | kid flash,
- † akito/agito wanijima | fang king,
- † billy kaplan | wiccan,
- † blue sargent | n/a,
- † dorian gray | n/a,
- † francis urquhart | n/a,
- † frederick chilton | chief of staff!!,
- † jacob taylor | the protector,
- † jeff winger | wingman,
- † kanaya maryam-lalonde | psychopomp,
- † karkat vantas | knight of blood,
- † kitty jones | n/a,
- † kotetsu t. kaburagi | wild tiger,
- † luke castellan | n/a,
- † manolo sanchez | n/a,
- † reggie mantle | n/a,
- † richard gansey | raven king,
- † riku | darkeater,
- † sai | n/a,
- † tobias matthews | n/a
video
[ Here's Kitty, wearing a smile and giving a little wave to the camera. ]
Hullo. It's Kitty here. I was just thinking about how it's about time for us to get another wave of new people - and then I remembered how last December, we didn't get any, and then I realized that I've now been here for over a year and that was just mad to think about.
It's easy to focus on all the horrid things that happen to us here. Because there are so many horrid things - that's true. The war with the Soviets is just terrible, and sometimes you just want to take the President by his shoulders and shake him until he stops - and those groups that detest us, they've made things a bit hard at times, as well. [ There's a little sideways twist to her lips as she says that; that's a grotesque understatement from a girl who had quite the history with one of those groups that detest us. ]
But it's always easy to remember the bad above the good. That's how the human brain works, isn't it - it's designed to remember hurts so that it can avoid those hurts in the future, which isn't bad, but which means that we sometimes lose track of the fact that there is so much more kindness than cruelty in the world. So I was just sitting and remembering all the good that's come to me over the past year.
Because this year, in this world, it really has been filled with impossible goodness. When I first came here, I was so scared, but there were people who took me in and helped me and protected me until I got a little more courage. And now here I am. I've made so many friends, amongst them someone I thought was my direst enemy. I saw people whom I'd never done any good for - I saw them forgive me when I was cruel and wicked and spiteful towards them, saw them risk themselves to help me and to save me.
And I've lived amongst the people of this world, who have been so good to me. So good. I've made friends amongst them, too. I've been kept on at work when I really have been the worst employee, when I've been unreliable because of my other obligations. And we've been allowed to speak our minds, speak freely. We've been allowed to travel far and wide. We've been supported in everything we do, which is far more kindness than has ever been extended a group of refugees at any time in any world. We've lived at peace. We've lived well.
So -
[ She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. ]
I'd thought - if I could trouble you all - that we could spend a little bit of time, all together, remembering the good turns that people have done us.
Talk about whomever you'd like. Talk about the people who have been kind and helped us when they didn't have to. Talk about the wealth that is the other people we know here. And I thought we could talk about the natives, too - I was thinking I might put together a little something, a few quotes, that we could pass along to the natives of this world, so that we know that we appreciate them. Let's take some time to overcome our brains, and remember the good - focus on the good and remember how kind the world is to us. How well we live. How strong and brave and honest we can be here.
[ Translation: 'All of this is a somewhat underhanded but well-intentioned PR thing that will let me package some stuff to make the natives less furious at us in an ongoing attempt to avert all-out war between us and this world.' ]
Anyway. There's that, if you can spare some time. Oh, and, erm - come by Krakatoa, while I've got your attention. Best club in town, bar none. And the employees are simply gorgeous.
[ A quick, half-sheepish grin, and then she gives a little nod and waves her way off. ]
Hullo. It's Kitty here. I was just thinking about how it's about time for us to get another wave of new people - and then I remembered how last December, we didn't get any, and then I realized that I've now been here for over a year and that was just mad to think about.
It's easy to focus on all the horrid things that happen to us here. Because there are so many horrid things - that's true. The war with the Soviets is just terrible, and sometimes you just want to take the President by his shoulders and shake him until he stops - and those groups that detest us, they've made things a bit hard at times, as well. [ There's a little sideways twist to her lips as she says that; that's a grotesque understatement from a girl who had quite the history with one of those groups that detest us. ]
But it's always easy to remember the bad above the good. That's how the human brain works, isn't it - it's designed to remember hurts so that it can avoid those hurts in the future, which isn't bad, but which means that we sometimes lose track of the fact that there is so much more kindness than cruelty in the world. So I was just sitting and remembering all the good that's come to me over the past year.
Because this year, in this world, it really has been filled with impossible goodness. When I first came here, I was so scared, but there were people who took me in and helped me and protected me until I got a little more courage. And now here I am. I've made so many friends, amongst them someone I thought was my direst enemy. I saw people whom I'd never done any good for - I saw them forgive me when I was cruel and wicked and spiteful towards them, saw them risk themselves to help me and to save me.
And I've lived amongst the people of this world, who have been so good to me. So good. I've made friends amongst them, too. I've been kept on at work when I really have been the worst employee, when I've been unreliable because of my other obligations. And we've been allowed to speak our minds, speak freely. We've been allowed to travel far and wide. We've been supported in everything we do, which is far more kindness than has ever been extended a group of refugees at any time in any world. We've lived at peace. We've lived well.
So -
[ She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. ]
I'd thought - if I could trouble you all - that we could spend a little bit of time, all together, remembering the good turns that people have done us.
Talk about whomever you'd like. Talk about the people who have been kind and helped us when they didn't have to. Talk about the wealth that is the other people we know here. And I thought we could talk about the natives, too - I was thinking I might put together a little something, a few quotes, that we could pass along to the natives of this world, so that we know that we appreciate them. Let's take some time to overcome our brains, and remember the good - focus on the good and remember how kind the world is to us. How well we live. How strong and brave and honest we can be here.
[ Translation: 'All of this is a somewhat underhanded but well-intentioned PR thing that will let me package some stuff to make the natives less furious at us in an ongoing attempt to avert all-out war between us and this world.' ]
Anyway. There's that, if you can spare some time. Oh, and, erm - come by Krakatoa, while I've got your attention. Best club in town, bar none. And the employees are simply gorgeous.
[ A quick, half-sheepish grin, and then she gives a little nod and waves her way off. ]
( audio, private )
He had someone else do that for him. ]
So you want to trick them into thinking everyone here only cares about getting along? Kitty, the world doesn't fucking work like that. People are cruel. They're only ever out for themselves. Pretending it's anything other than that is a trick.
( audio, private )
[ She shakes her hair out of her face. ]
The world is what we will it to be. Society is nothing but a great lot of people getting together and deciding, right, here's the rules. We get together, we will it to become something else, it becomes something else. Everything we have is a construct mutually agreed-upon. If everyone starts to believe that goodness is how the world operates, then goodness is how it'll start to operate.
Believe me, Adam. The world's kicked me in the stomach and told me not to get up a lot of times. I'm not a naive girl, thinking everything is secretly lovely, and that things'll get better if you just believe. Things'll get better if you fucking well fight for it. And I fight. And this is one of my tactics.
( audio, private )
[ She's sweet and she's nosy and she believes in the world around her. She's all the things that Adam isn't. He only has room to allow that for one person and unfortunately that position has been taken. ]
This isn't fighting. This is making yourself look attractive in the hopes you don't get hit. And that never fucking works. The smile you put on your face just makes you an easier target.
( audio, private )
[ A short laugh. ]
Is that what you think it is? You think I'm trying to look sweet and biddable to save myself? Get real, Adam. I'm trying to save them.
( audio, private )
You're basically saying let's all be nice and friendly so we don't get fire-bombed. [ He sounds wound up. ]
( audio, private )
( audio, private )
Who cares who it's with? They won't.
[ By now Adam has Gansey trying to calm him down. It hasn't done much but deflate him. He shouldn't even be here. ]
( audio, private )
( audio, private )
[ He sounds irritated and tired. He sounds less like the boy she knows. ]
I get how they act.
( audio, private )
So do I. And I think that it's so easy to assume that the worst people are the most common. But it's just that you remember them better.
( audio, private )
I don't like lying to myself.
[ Pretending the world is pretty feels like that. ]
( audio, private )
So you think I am? Living in some deluded world, expecting good from people?
( audio, private )
[ Kitty keeps trying. She tries with everything. Adam doesn't understand that. ]
Yeah, I think you are.
( audio, private )
[ There's no real anger in her voice. She's not mad at him, or mad about this argument. If anything, she actually sounds a little bit...happy. She likes having a go like this. She likes being able to clash with people. And she likes clashing with Adam, too - he thinks so completely differently from her, and he's clever, and so she enjoys the challenge. ]
How do you think I manage it? Am I naive? Sheltered? 'Cause it seems weird, doesn't it, that I'm able to delude myself when I've already lived a life. Is it supposed to be willful, maybe?
( audio, private )
I don't think you'd care if you kept hitting your head against a wall if you thought you could beat the wall down. But that doesn't work, Kitty. Walls are stronger than you are.
( audio, private )
It's that sort of negative thinking that defeats most people. I don't subscribe to it. All walls have weak points, after all.
( audio, private )
( audio, private )
( audio, private )
So he leaves. Better that than do more damage. ]