theweakhavepurpose | Hadriel Inbox

Sometimes people surprise you. In a good way.

[he is! and she's thrilled! but she's not going to make a big fuss over it, she figures that might be counterproductive]

No one will ever hear it from me.

Rarely. But yeah, I guess it happens.

[Ah, there's that pessimism.]

It's a pretty nice feeling knowing there's a future though. That the Collapse doesn't happen and end it all.

[Sure they could be like.. parallel futures or something, but he doesn't know how that works so he's gonna keep on assuming this is the same Earth he's from.]

It happens. And then it's a pleasant surprise.

[and she looks on the bright side, anyway.

and then her expression turns tentative]

But. . . is it okay to ask what the Collapse is?

[they could be. she's heard of a lot of different Earths in her time here and he hasn't mentioned anything about Superman or Batman or any of the other heroes of the 20th century being active, but. it could still be the same world]

I'm all for pleasant surprises. Sometimes back home I'd find $20 in a pair of jeans before I washed them and that'd make my whole day.

[He is a man of simple needs.]

Oh.

It's..

I guess the best way to describe it is it's the apocalypse. But some people will survive it by hiding out in bunkers and ushering in a new Eden. A new paradise.

Or so The Father says.

...

He's probably full of shit.

[He says it under his breath as if Jacob is standing right there ready to stab him for blaspheming.]

You can do a lot with twenty credits, so I'd imagine you could do the same with twenty dollars.

[and she was raised with minimalism. Winema Wazzo didn't believe in spoiling her child, although she certainly had resources to do so.

she listens carefully with a thoughtful expression]

The apocalypse and Eden? Like in the Terran Bible? [she bites her tongue to avoid saying "but no one's believed in that for four hundred years"]

I don't know who the Father is, but I'm pretty sure he's full of shit.

Yes and no. The Father... Joseph, says he speaks to God, that he has a plan to save his children.

He has his own bible.

[And Pratt has read it and it is terrible.]

He's a crazy motherfucker, that's for sure.

[all of that smells more than a little fishy]

How does he have his own bible?

[she doesn't know much about old Terran religions, but she thought that there was only one Bible, one Torah, one Quran, etc]

He sounds like it. I'm sorry you had to deal with him.

He wrote it. And paid someone to print it I suppose.

[ He pauses, he never actually thought about the logistics of some of the cult things. Was Joseph going into the Kinko's in Missoula to get his posters printed? Did they order their cult sweaters wholesale off Etsy? Where was all this coming from? ]

I would have rather not. A lot of people love him though, fawn all over him, call him The Father. Even built him this ten story statue of himself in the middle of a fucking field.

Because that's not self entitled or anything.

[He may be mostly a cultist himself, but he does not like Joseph.]

[she looks flabbergasted]
That's--bizarre. How arrogant do you have to be to go around calling yourself the Father, writing your own bible, saying that god talks to you personally, and building a sprocking ten story statue of yourself?

[about as arrogant as believing that your race was the only pure one in the galaxy]

He runs around shirtless in aviator glasses with a man-bun as well.

[Cuz he's a pretentious dick, that's why.]

With any luck someone has blown that damn statue up by now.

[at the description, she can't help but giggle]

Oh no. Really? So not only is he an arrogant jerk, he has no sense of style. That's awful!

[it really sounds that way]

Yeah, I really hope so. It would only be fair.

He definitely looks like he should be preaching the virtues of quinoa rather than leading a religious cult into the apocalypse.

[How much better would life have been if Joseph Seed aggressively pushed wheat grass shakes instead of doctrine?]

[she can't help it. she busts out laughing. quinoa has a reputation even in the 30th century.

a mock-pompous voice]

Please allow me to tell you the joys of adding flax seed to your everyday diet.

[she's gesturing expansively as she speaks]

You have no idea how much that sounds just like him.

"And God spoke and said unto me, let us consume acai berries by the pound."

Really? [she says and busts out into a fresh bout of giggles.

still pompously] They're rich in antioxidants and will help you lose weight! Probably because you're so busy pooping all the time!

Man, I wish he just ranted about health food instead of killing people he considers Sinners.

We could have a good laugh about it down at the station and worry about other shit.

[Like people fishing without licenses. Not a whole lot of crime happens in Hope County.]

I wish he had, too. [a pause] Is it something you wanna talk about?

[she smiles a little sadly] A lot of people would've been way better off, too.

[and that's as it should be]

I dunno. That's supposed to help right?

[Since they're here telling each other their secrets anyway.]

There's so many dead people in Hope County, and no one is going to come out of this unscathed. Even if they defeat the cult and kill him or lock him up, everyone is still so goddamn fucked up now. And the people in the Project will cling to it forever, and the Resistance will never trust them again so the fighting will keep on going.

Until one side completely wipes out the other.

That's what they say. But no pressure.

[she listens to what he has to say and sighs sadly]

I would. . . really like to think that it wouldn't have to come to that. That somebody could reach the people in the Project and make them see reality. But sometimes . . . the wrong thoughts and beliefs and attitudes get so ingrained in people that they can't let themselves let them go. They'd have to get used to the idea that they're not special. They're not chosen. They're not better. And some people can't let that go. They really will die first. [a pause] It's awful. But it's true.

[and she knows something about people with such beliefs, thanks to the White Triangle pushing racial superiority and purity at every turn]

Is it the wrong belief though? How do you disprove someone's faith?

[ He shakes his head, both because he's unsure how to do that and also because diving into this means confronting what he believes and he's far more of a cultist than he wants to admit. If pushed to it he'd probably defend them. He definitely wouldn't be able to kill Jacob or Joseph himself.

Their followers... probably. Pratt wasn't well liked as a cop, he's definitely not well liked as Jacob's pet Deputy. ]

Everyone wants to think they're special, or part of something bigger.

I don't know what they're going to do about it. How everyone is going to go on living. With what they've done to each other.

...I guess you'd start with logic and reason?

[if she knew, she'd hope that time and space away from them would break their hold on Pratt. that their poisonous influence could be supplanted with something newer, better, healthier.

but he is liked and cared for here. for who he is as a person, not for the use people have for him.

and she smiles sadly] Sure, everyone wants to believe that. Maybe . . . maybe maturity comes with letting that go. With accepting that we're all just people, trying the best we can to be the best we can everyday.

I guess they'll have to take it day by day. [a pause] Or move, but not everyone can do that.

I think it's far past logic and reason at this point.

Because there's also drugging and torture and murder and conditioning. Sure a few people joined willingly but the vast majority didn't. And now they're too far gone to remember who they are or what they believe.

[He looks away because he's definitely talking about himself now.]

A lot of people did move. But not everyone has the resources too. And most have been in this place for generations.

...then I guess you'd have to go with time. And patience and understanding. And a whole lot of talking. Even if it's just the person trying to break the conditioning talking at first.

I don't know. Even in my time, it's not like there's a pill for that kind of treatment. Titanese psychiatrists can help--they're telepathic--but they have their limits, too.

I guess. . . I guess the best thing is time. Time and understanding and a listening ear for when they are ready to talk about it. And knowing that you don't have all the answers.

Then I guess I can see how it would be hard to leave. If the land's been such a part of their lives.

[He looks away for a long time, thinking about what she said. She's probably right. Just time and understanding and probably kindness and comfort as well.

Weak.

All of it is weak and if he's supposedly strong now then he shouldn't need any of that. He can tough it out. Walk it off.]

I don't really want to talk about this.

[she waits for him to speak. it's some heavy stuff, what they're getting into and she's not sure if she's saying the right thing or not. she hopes she is?

but apparently she isn't]

Okay. [a pause] So what do you wanna talk about instead?

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