inbox

[grunge]

█ ＤＵＰＬＩＣＩＴＹ
text, video, etc.

NAME: JONES HANDLE: @ALIAS PICTURE: Middle finger, face out of frame.

Comments

[grunge]

Listen: None of this is your fault

[sunmon]

Yet.

[ when she starts choosing to go along with it, isn't it? ]

[grunge]

This is just survival.
Its shameful and it hurts and how you deal with it is the only choice you control.

[sunmon]

Exactly. So isn't the better choice doing everything I can to resist? At least then I can say I tried.

[grunge]

[ it's too bleak and cruel to tell her the truth: saying that doesn't slake the pain. it can, however, give other people the impression of strength, and that can keep them from seeing it. it's better than nothing. let her try. ]

I can't tell you what to do.
Just don't land yourself in realignment. Anything is better than that.

[sunmon]

Speaking from experience?

[grunge]

The experience of having to see that fucked up video that I know you did too.

(cw: victim blaming)

[sunmon]

[ she's been trying to forget it. ]

They can't be doing that to everyone.

[ right? there's no way they'd all allow it. he must have done something especially heinous. one of the guards had mentioned killing someone ...

it's the only way alina can make sense of it. and she's not ready for it to not make sense yet. ]

[grunge]

[ so has Jess. she's trying to forget about it right now. 🥃 ]

Why not?
This whole city's drinking the kool aid there's a damn people zoo

[sunmon]

There's no way they could just make people accept that happening to anyone.
The people would revolt.

[grunge]

Maybe they have
Maybe it didn't work
Maybe they're gearing up to try again but if they are it looks like what they're planning is too important to get sidetracked by sick displays of power

Hell maybe that was the city trying to bait them out
I don't know
But I can tell you for goddamn sure that you or me on our own don't mean shit to either side

[sunmon]

[ she's right. alina knows that she's right. no one was going to save them. good behavior wasn't going to save them, either. thinking otherwise just insulated alina from having to imagine that it could be her on that video, next time. ]

So that's all?
We keep our heads down and use our bodies the way they tell us to until it goes away?

[grunge]

[ sounds like she might be convinced. god, the only thing worse than when Jess fails is when she succeeds. ]

That's all I've got right now.
Find someone you can talk to. That's supposed to help.

[sunmon]

That's not good enough.

[grunge]

Then when you figure out something better you let me know

[sunmon]

[ with uniquely YA protag optimism and confidence, ]

I will.