View source for 20160112/Monkeys With Silver Sticks

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2016/01/12
|Location=The Radio
|Synopsis=Ren becomes concerned about Staren, and attempts to give him some unsolicited advice.
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=165, 42, 7, 908, 925, 920, 909, 828, 151, 901
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{{Poses
|Poses=<Die Reisenden> Maimen of Maids Janine Liberi says, "Meh. I couldn't sleep, and I had a lot of tagalongs."

<Die Reisenden> Geralt of Rivia says, "Mm."

<Die Reisenden> Damita Stark, a touch grumpy, "Not that I'm even sure I can do broken bones, because it's never come up."

<Die Reisenden> Weird Science Staren says, "I'm not snubbing the compliment, I just don't see any way to continue this conversation that's not gonna 
drive people nuts."

<Die Reisenden> Geralt of Rivia says, "Then don't?"

<Die Reisenden> Maimen of Maids Janine Liberi says, "I don't care how you take it Dork."

<Die Reisenden> Weird Science Staren makes a 'whatever' sort of grunt.

<Die Reisenden> Ainsley says, "I made cookies, if anyone wants some."

<Die Reisenden> Sneaky Dude Ren Tanaka says, "I'll take one."

<Die Reisenden> Sneaky Dude Ren Tanaka comin' outta nowhere with that cookie snipe.

<Die Reisenden> Maimen of Maids Janine Liberi says, "What ingredients did you use?"

<Die Reisenden> Weird Science Staren says, "Cookies would be good."

<Die Reisenden> Ainsley says, "Flour. Sugar. Butter. So on. I refrained from adding crickets, people tend not to like it when I add those."

<Die Reisenden> Weird Science Staren says, "Probably for the best."

<Die Reisenden> Damita Stark says, "No thank you, I need to watch my weight."

<Die Reisenden> Geralt of Rivia says, "Would, but I've had enough portals for now."

<Die Reisenden> Maimen of Maids Janine Liberi says, "If it's not top-grade ingredients, get it out of my face."

<Die Reisenden> Something Witty Hoshi Amakasu quietly, "If you need workout tips, Ms. Stark, I can offer some."

<Die Reisenden> Damita Stark says, "Lower body work? My archery does wonders for the top./"

<Die Reisenden> Something Witty Hoshi Amakasu audible facepalm.

<Die Reisenden> Ainsley says, "I'm glad you think so highly of yourself, ma'am."

<Die Reisenden> Maimen of Maids Janine Liberi says, "Stark, there's no better fat burner than a life-or-death situation. If you eat only to mantain 
your figure, you'll crash on us."

<Die Reisenden> Maimen of Maids Janine Liberi says, "Pig out. Life's too short for celery and hummus."

<Die Reisenden> Something Witty Hoshi Amakasu says, "Yeah. Let me know when you want to meet, I can give you a regimen."

<Die Reisenden> Ainsley says, "You don't need to have any cookies. Staren, do you want them wrapped up?"

<Die Reisenden> Damita Stark, amused, "What do you think my diet consists of?"

<Die Reisenden> Maimen of Maids Janine Liberi says, "Knowing girls like you? Not enough."

<Die Reisenden> Weird Science Staren says, "Make life as long as you want it and enjoy the food you were biologically programmed to! With technology! 
I will have many cookies. They sound delicious."

<Die Reisenden> Damita Stark says, "'Girls like me' ...?"

<Die Reisenden> Something Witty Hoshi Amakasu says, "... I'm done for the night. Goodnight, everyone."

<Die Reisenden> Ainsley says, "Good night."

<Die Reisenden> Geralt of Rivia says, "Mm."

<Die Reisenden> Maimen of Maids Janine Liberi says, "You know, the girls who put too much stock in how they look, what they wear, what other people 
think of them."

<Die Reisenden> Weird Science Staren says, "People should be able to look however they want and wear whatever they want, though, right?"

<Die Reisenden> Handyman Kazimir Volkov click, click. "It is not that easy."

<Die Reisenden> Maimen of Maids Janine Liberi says, "Eh, sure. But eating only bland, boring shit all the time isn't worth it."

<Die Reisenden> Damita Stark, snapping a little, "I'm not like those brainless blondes that make up half of the cheerleading team, you know."

<Die Reisenden> Maimen of Maids Janine Liberi says, "Yeah?"

<Die Reisenden> Damita Stark, with a stifled chuckle, "I'm a brunette."

<Die Reisenden> Maimen of Maids Janine Liberi snorts after a long pause.

<Die Reisenden> Weird Science Staren says, "Huh? No man, that's dumb. Have your cake and eat it too. Medical nanotech can reshape bodies. Or you can, 
like, use direct-brain-interface technology to taste food without ever actually eating it. Lots of options. I'm not trying to show off, I think 
/everybody/ should be able to enjoy these conveniences."

<Die Reisenden> Weird Science Staren says, "People putting themselves through starving or agonizing over how they look... there's enough suffering in 
the world already, ya know?"

<Die Reisenden> Ainsley says, "Staren..."

<Die Reisenden> Handyman Kazimir Volkov says, "In perfect world, you would be right."

<Die Reisenden> Ainsley softly says, "They are high school girls."

<Die Reisenden> Handyman Kazimir Volkov says, "But people do stupid things to one another for stupid reasons. This is life."

<Die Reisenden> Sneaky Dude Ren Tanaka remains silent.

<Die Reisenden> Geralt of Rivia says, "Yeah."

<Die Reisenden> Damita Stark, weakly, "I took the Mirror thing on a /dare/, based off of gossip from the blondes."

<Die Reisenden> Maimen of Maids Janine Liberi says, "There, see? They're awful. Cut 'em out of your life."

<Die Reisenden> Maimen of Maids Janine Liberi says, "Before they cut you out of it for not meeting their standards."

<Die Reisenden> Weird Science Staren says, "Huh? Man, it's not stupid reasons. People should be able to look how they want, and staying healthy is 
important if you don't have technology or magic maintaining it. I'm just saying, there's easier ways."

<Die Reisenden> Sneaky Dude Ren Tanaka thinks this over for a few moments. "Staren, telephone for you."



PHONE: Phoning Staren, Ren Tanaka says, "It's me."

PHONE: Staren says, "Yes yes I should stop messing with high school life and let them live it how they're accustomed to, I get it."

PHONE: Phoning Staren, Ren Tanaka says, "No, this is something else."

PHONE: Staren says, "It's like... you know how we always have to tell the bad guys that we /could/ have peace, before they inevitably make us shoot 
them, because when it works, even though it almost never works, it's so much better? Same deal here -- huh?"



<Die Reisenden> Damita Stark says, "Oh, don't worry, I know Kohler by sight, I'm already half out of the group already."


PHONE: Phoning Staren, Ren Tanaka says, "Staren, maybe it's just because I've only just really started paying attention to it in the last few months, 
but in the last few months I've noticed that you seem to have become a little more... little more... hmm. I'm not sure how to put it."

PHONE: Phoning Staren, Ren Tanaka says, "So I suppose. Has anything really changed for you, significantly, recently?"



<Die Reisenden> Maimen of Maids Janine Liberi says, "Then go all of the way out. Take all that superiority out of their sails."



PHONE: Staren says, "...Not that I've noticed..."



<Die Reisenden> Little Miss 8D Gudako Ordria says, "Leave one of their corpses as a message for the others! Smart people usually stop bothering you 
after that."



PHONE: Staren says, "I've always believed in helping people and fixing things... so /that/ hasn't changed..."



<Die Reisenden> Damita Stark says, "No!"

<Die Reisenden> Maimen of Maids Janine Liberi says, "We don't need that kind of attention."

<Die Reisenden> Little Miss 8D Gudako Ordria says, "Find a ditch, then!"



PHONE: Phoning Staren, Ren Tanaka says, "It's just that recently you seem to have become a lot more... vocal about your particular proclivities. As a 
matter of fact, pretty soon I think it'll be the only thing new people start to recognize about you."



<Die Reisenden> Sneaky Dude Ren Tanaka says, "Thank you, Gudako, we'll consider it, please go back to doing whatever awful little thing you were doing 
before this."

<Die Reisenden> Little Miss 8D Gudako Ordria says, "Hey, if you're having people problems the optimal solution is just for there not to be people 
you're having problems with, don't blame me, blame the spreadsheets!"

PHONE: Staren says, "...I thought maybe it was safe to talk about them again. I don't get it. We're heroes. We do stuff because it's /right/. Why does 
everyone get so... uppity about me having ideals all the time? I just wanna help people!"

PHONE: Phoning Staren, Ren Tanaka says, "Staren. Do you remember when you were investigating the burned out oil well in Amarillo?"



<Die Reisenden> Damita Stark says, "Nope, nooooope."

<Die Reisenden> Motormouth Kotone Yamakawa says, "I was as bad in highschool..."

<Die Reisenden> Motormouth Kotone Yamakawa says, "Now I weighh over 150 kilos or so."

<Die Reisenden> Little Miss 8D Gudako Ordria says, "Murder is humanity's oldest problem solver! I guess you could settle for intimidation, though."

<Die Reisenden> Handyman Kazimir Volkov says, "Too many side effects. Not all of us can clean up like you."



PHONE: Staren says, "Uhhhh, yes, and I imagine you'll make the relevance clear shortly?"



<Die Reisenden> Damita Stark says, "Ugh."



PHONE: Phoning Staren, Ren Tanaka says, "Yes, when you tried to introduce your power armor to those two men, they immediately got rather... agitated. 
Theirs is a world which has never seen that level of technology. You were undoubtably the first time they'd ever seen something like that."

PHONE: Phoning Staren, Ren Tanaka says, "And what happened there?"


<Die Reisenden> Motormouth Kotone Yamakawa says, "We all know where that got the likes of Cain."

PHONE: Staren says, "It... helped them see through the glamour that was keeping them from seeing the truth?"

PHONE: Phoning Staren, Ren Tanaka says, "Yes, but moreover they freaked the hell out and pointed guns at you."



<Die Reisenden> Little Miss 8D Gudako Ordria says, "Immortalized as a probably very high-tier Heroic Spirit?"



PHONE: Staren says, "A lot of people point guns at me. If I hadn't opened their minds we might never have solved that mystery."

PHONE: Staren says, "But, I get that while in that particular case the gains outweighed the losses, that probably won't always happen because people 
are smallminded, fearful idiots that I value for no justifiable reason, apparently."

PHONE: Phoning Staren, Ren Tanaka says, "...Staren, if there's a word of advice I could give you, and I dunno, you've probably heard this before, it 
would be to be less selective with your memory. You tend to concentrate on aspects of memory that reinforce your perspective, and don't give enough 
thought to the ones that threaten it. There is something... primal in the human mind that averts them from accepting future technology. Probably 
because inherently everyone believes that what they're being exposed to isn't possible, and inherent animal fear of the unnatural drives them to get 
away from it."

PHONE: Staren says, "...Maybe it'll never work out. Maybe I should only care about people who can know better than that."

PHONE: Staren says, "...Seems like that's likely to just put me on the wrong side of a bunch of heroes with pointy sticks though. I dunno. Morality is 
hard. People, people should be able to be /better/ than that. Because /only/ by being better can they sieze control of their world, and their destiny, 
and advance, and allow eachother to reach their potential!"

PHONE: Staren says, "Can I really give up on their ability to do that? When they could make something so great, for eachother, for everyone?"

PHONE: Phoning Staren, Ren Tanaka says, "You'll fail, if you look at it that way, because the point I'm trying to make is: the fact that people reject 
what you often offer them is, as far as I can tell anyway, inherent human nature. People reject it because a deep-down part of the mind says, 'this 
isn't natural'. Now, the thing is that the human mind can /change/, it can /accept/ things like this over time, by being exposed to new experiences. 
But everything needs /time/. Not even everyone in the Union is willing to accept everything, I expect even the ones who have seen planets burn and 
worlds born."

PHONE: Phoning Staren, Ren Tanaka says, "It'll take a jolly long time before everyone in every world meets your standards."

PHONE: Staren says, "I'm... gonna have to think about this."



<Die Reisenden> Motormouth Kotone Yamakawa says, "Prehaps, I know little about such things."



PHONE: Phoning Staren, Ren Tanaka nods. "I just don't think it's a question of morality. It's a question of the ape in the forest being scared of the 
big silver chimpanzee, and his shiny log that sunbeams come out of."

PHONE: Staren says, "This conversation is too philosophical and I am too tired. I'll... work it out, somehow."

PHONE: Phoning Staren, Ren Tanaka says, "I'm sure you will."


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