Text | @rubber ducky

[curingidiocy]

[ Soon after LILITH hands the decision to Outsiders, Ratio makes a post on the ocular network. ]

I hope you have all had ample time to rest from the aftermath of the kaiju's attack. However, it is time to turn our attention to the future. We have been given an opportunity to decide our next step.

1: Stay in Seoul and assist the city.
2: Chase after the escaped Imugi.

I imagine opinions may be divided on this front, so I would like to open the forum for discussion. Please state your choice and provide thorough reasoning for your decision. You will not convince anyone with a half-baked argument. You may respond to any comment as you please, but remember to stay civil and do not resort to derogatory or inflammatory comments. Should you break this rule, I will revoke your comment permissions.

Keep in mind that your choice will have a grave effect on the people of this planet. It is not one to be made lightly, so do not treat it with levity.

You may use the form below to keep your comment clear and easy to read.

<b>Decision:</b> State your decision here. <b>Reason:</b> Be concise. Bullet form preferred. <b>Other:</b> If you have any other comment to make, do so here.


[ ooc: This is meant to be a mingle text log! Feel free to comment on each other's posts, yadda yadda go wild! Also the form is only a recommendation, feel free to disregard Ratio's instructions and annoy him. ]

Comments

[uncourteous]

Losing yourself, or losing your life?

[ he'd argue they were two different things, no? ]

Perhaps, or maybe you are simply experienced. Even I find it tiresome to react to same song and dance.

[cranekin]

Dying wouldn't be so bad.

(He definitely meant losing himself.)

Hm.
I've been alive for many years. In that time, I've stayed alongside many great nobles and generals.
Most of them were boring but I suppose I've learned some things through the years.

[uncourteous]

How do you think a man truly begins to lose themselves?

[ was this meant to be a vague thing, or was it a concrete response? ]

Boring? So you are the type of man who believes war to be trivial, and yet you still believe we are in no condition to give chase? That doesn't seem to bode well for us.

[cranekin]

By suffering.

(Of course. It's through suffering that they lose their grip. If nothing is done to regain it, they will only spiral into despair.)

Because every life has meaning, all wars have meanings.

(Don't call them trivial. He only said his masters were boring.)

There are benefits and downsides to both options. However, those points aren't the same for everyone. For example, you're a lord, aren't you? Perhaps you see another side that most warriors could care less for.

(Politics............)

Just thinking about it bores me to tears...
But all things considered, there is no truly good option here.
I'm surprised by how easily some have decided, though.

[uncourteous]

That's it? By that logic, shouldn't most men have lost their minds completely?

[ lol, ]

Perhaps. Depending on what you consider "meaning" to be.

Regardless, I am also not such a fool to believe that either option truly absolves anyone from getting blood on their hands. I presume lives are lost no matter what decision is made. Though, I do find it a bit humorous that the decision hinges on our choices. Though, I cannot entirely blame them for desiring to cast the decision on another group of people entirely. To be quite honest, it all feels rather contrived.

[ what if they're simply being made to believe in a choice...

who is to say. ]

Have you not decided easily yourself?

[cranekin]

Human aren't that weak.

It's only a choice for us. For them, there's only one option. They're in position to give chase. Regardless if we help or not, they must survive and make do with whatever they have. Whether we stay or leave, they'll still do the same thing.

In the end, the choice is ours to make.

(As for if he's chosen or not...)

I wonder why...
Everytime someone has asked me for help, it's hard to look away...

[uncourteous]

Are they not? I find from experience some are quite fragile. But, I suppose others do scamper around like rats.

There are often only a few choices for most. The less power one has, the less options they have to even choose their deaths. But, if the choice is ours, should I consider us fortunate? [ he obviously doesn't actually believe this. they're just words to him. at the same time, he has no real attachment to this land, and yet he's been given some food for thought regardless. ]

So you are the altruistic type? I am surprised there are so many of you.

[ to be honest, he expected most to choose chase and forsake the people. maybe even up to 80-90%. ]

[cranekin]

Humans are surprisingly resilient. Even when they suffer and are against impossible odds, they've shown great strength.
At least, in my experience.

Some people would rather live their entire lives never making a decision for themselves. They simply live however they've been told. It's boring but it's a life at least.
Others have to make decisions every day. Some are more important more than others. It's exciting and can be as rewarding as it is miserable.
I guess what I mean to say is, I don't know if theres' fortune to be found this time or not. I'll be as surprised as you are.

What I am and what I do aren't the same thing.

[uncourteous]

[ maybe that's the case, but he's also seen enough of the opposite as well. kingdoms fall, the people perish, or get dispersed to another empires under a completely different form. a fate he'd argue could be much worse. ]

Let us hope your experience holds up, Sir White.

Then may I pose the question of— do you think it better to live a life devoid of decisions but a life nonetheless, or a life of freedom, but only for it to lead to quick, perhaps even miserable death?

I do think you are quite right in that there may be nothing pleasurable to be found here.

[ what i am and what i do aren't the same thing...

at least it's honest. ]

[cranekin]

I don't really know.
I'm still learning how to live.
I know some people prefer the former and others prefer the latter.
For me, the most important thing is to live an exciting life.

[uncourteous]

[ learning how to live...

it's a prospect he never even had room to truly consider, so it ends up feeling a little funny to him. ]

What do you think constitutes as an "exciting life"?

[cranekin]

Well...
What do YOU think is exciting?
You should answer some questions too!

[uncourteous]

Perhaps, delivering a fresh corpse as a gift at my younger brother's banquet? Or, maybe being entrapped in a cave after several assassins aim for my life?

[ irony aside... to be honest, the real answer is callisto never considered leading an exciting life. he simply lived and survived through one he was unfortunately given. that said, it isn't like there weren't other glimmers of exhilaration like with the duke's adopted daughter. not that it mattered now. ]

Did that satisfy your curiosity?

[cranekin]

(You know what


Tsurumaru digs it.)

Yes.

(He's satisfied. And also curious.)

I want an exciting life with many surprises.
Ever since I became alive, I've experienced many surprises. Some of them have been good and others have been bad.
I've been surprised in battle and I've been surprised outside of it, too.
But more than anything, I don't want to waste my life away.

[uncourteous]

[ not tsuru enabling this... ]

So you are fine with "surprises," regardless of what path they end up bringing you on? That is a bold statement. Have you never regretted that desire to seek excitement even once? [ could some have labeled the decision a "surprise"— is what seems to be his real question. ]

[cranekin]

If I wasn't fine with it, I think I'd be more miserable.

(Than he already is.)

No. If I decide to do something, I make sure to do it without regret.

[uncourteous]

[ more miserable... the statement does oddly resonate with him. ]

Who knows? Perhaps, there is an upper limit to misery and you've all but achieved it?

[ except, he knows such a thing doesn't exist. ]

That's no easy feat. Color me impressed. Though, I'm very much the same.