xp_journal | Hrm. I'm curious.

x-dazzler.livejournal.com posting in

So.

Who promised you the world on a platter while you were here, that's what I want to know. Who promised you the rose garden and the happy ever after with lace and sugar and a ribbon on top without oh, I don't know... you not having to actually work for it at all? Which "they" walked up to you and said you had to trust them and they expected it from you? Mmm? Hell, I haven't even told Miles anything of the sort.

So some of you keep saying "they" lied to you. Some keep saying "they" as though it were some sort of curse word, but fact is, I don't know anyone called "They" here. And some of you keep acting as though you're being kept in jail.

I'm wondering here. Who?

Current Mood: predatory

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

x-juggernaut.livejournal.com

My thoughts exactly. This is what gets me, a lot of these kids feel they're OWED something. If they don't feel safe, they can go consider the alternative. If they don't like the decor, hell, some of them could buy a plane out of here. If they think they need guns in the house to protect themselves, I'll personally boot them into the next county.

Put up or shut up.

From:

x-dazzler.livejournal.com

I do not, in any way shape or form, understand how this place has apparently been turned into a prison, the way (a few but still) are acting. I don't get it.

Hello much? Last I checked, no guards in the hallway with stun guns, no bars on the windows to keep them from going out, no tags around their next to be able to trace their every movement. No being kept in a cage and fed grubs either, no being beaten up. Very freakingly expensive inducers being lent out whenever they're asked for, for those who want to go out and need to hide their mutations or can't be seen out and about for other reasons.

To hear them go on, this is the worst place in the world.

Hel-fucking-lo much

Oh yeah, I'm a bitter old hag. :p

From:

x-gambit.livejournal.com

Hate to say it, but the purple haired femme's pitch to me was that this was a safe place. This was the place that mutants came to learn about their powers. Guess the military invasion slipped her mind then?

Remy did not come here to join a war. Said that the first day, been saying that ever since. I think I've got a right to know if there are going to be soldiers coming in on a daily basis, and what people are doing about it. I also think I've got a right to know when someone is actively trying to kill us, without having to interrogate it out of a femme no older then me.

You don't want to say what's happening? You don't think we need to know what is being decided to make sure Remy don't have to trip over some femme with her face smashed in and a gun to her head in the middle of the night, you tell me right now, and I'll happily take the next bus into the city.

Hell, least that Kraut was an honest madman in front of Remy.

From:

x-dazzler.livejournal.com

A safe place still has to be kept that way.

And this is a place where mutants come to learn about their powers. Pro-active works too. We can't stuff "wanting to learn" and "getting up and doing so" down everyone's throat. Heck, if we tried, they'd just dig down and refuse to do so. :p

Did you ever think of the oh so very slim possibility that we don't know this kind of stuff in advance? It's not exactly a "oh, we're having tea on Sunday, bring the guns over and take a few potshots at us why not, let's have fun" scenario here.

Omnipotence hasn't been reached yet by any mutant in the house, sorry.

It's a place to live in. It's a place to learn about what you can do, as much and as well as we can manage it. Because we don't know it all. We can't anticipate it all. We can just work at it. Hard. Every day. We can increase our security precautions. We can try and look harder to anticipate things like the attacks, and try to prevent them in the future. But in the end, like it or not, we're only human.

Kind of like everyone else does in the rest of the world, huh?

From:

x-gambit.livejournal.com

Think you confused, chere. Remy wasn't asking to know the future. I was asking to know about the past and the present.

Got Mafia and Yakuza attacking people who live here? How come it took an effort to have to find that out after things had happened? Slip your mind that we all might be marked for death? How about mentioning that the US Army once came through the doors and tried to capture everyone? Guess that make the pitch from that Psylocke a little less appealing. How about telling us what you're planning to do to make this place safe, rather then asking us to just trust that you're working on it? You proved twice that you can't handle that job. Got an explanation why the third time will be any different?

There are a lot of places and pretty femmes that Remy not experienced yet. I don't like the idea of dying before that happens. I really don't like the idea of dying because the people who asked me to come here decided they don't want to be honest with me about what's really going on.

More and more, Remy get the feeling that I got asked to come here cause if someone attacks while I'm sleeping upstairs, that you got another soldier to fight in the shoot out. Nobody's said anything to me yet to make me doubt that. If you got an honest answer for that, chere, maybe you come find and tell me.

From:

x-dazzler.livejournal.com

Really.

You know, all it took me was scrolling back four to six pages on the main journal (which everyone can read by the way) to dig up these.

http://www.livejournal.com/community/x_journal/25179.html
http://www.livejournal.com/community/x_journal/22974.html
http://www.livejournal.com/community/x_journal/17282.html
http://www.livejournal.com/community/x_journal/36321.html
http://www.livejournal.com/community/x_journal/19387.html
http://www.livejournal.com/community/x_journal/29141.html
http://www.livejournal.com/users/x_cyclops/3509.html
http://www.livejournal.com/community/x_journal/27136.html
http://www.livejournal.com/community/x_journal/2003/05/ (Look at the 14th, mmm?)

Not quite in order, but nonetheless… It's ALL. THERE. Anyone even bothering to sit down for five minutes to look will see it. Nothing is hidden. No one is going around saying "Us? Attacked? Why never, must be your imagination." I don't see any lying or concealing or "don't talk to me and heaven forbid you ask me what's going on" posts here. Why no, I see communication, resumes of events and updates to what's going on. Even concern and the desire to help. For everyone.

Oh yes. By the way? It's not like only staff were aware of the first attacks. Every single student here at the time was fully aware of them too. So, that would be every single person in the house at the time. All of it discussed openly in journals. I don't see any one of us setting out to conceal information from anyone. Or lie, as both staff and students, in effect, have been accused of doing.

You want to know even more? Ask. That's how communicating start, and while a lot of the communicating here seems to be one way paranoia and fear-inducing ranting, anyone actually wanting to talk can come and find me. Or Pete and Jake. Or anyone else on staff for that matter. Means getting up on your feet and actually doing the work, but you know what Remy? I don't know about some of the others, but for some reason, you don't strike me as the "sit on his ass and wait for things to come to him" type.

Am I wrong?

From:

x-gambit.livejournal.com

You know, all it took me was scrolling back four to six pages on the main journal (which everyone can read by the way) to dig up these.

And that was available to me before I walked in the door and likely ended up on every database and hit list you people got monitoring you?

Fact is that the responsibility is on you to make these things known. You're the staff, after all. Saying 'figure it out for yourself' is an excuse. The honest thing to do would be to advise those who you want to bring in of the risks before they end up caught up on what you got going.

But hey, guess that not how things go here. Remy's own fault for not leaving the first time he was lied to, I guess. Don't worry yourself no more, chere. This the last you hear from Remy about it.

Re: Here's another fact...

From:

x-dazzler.livejournal.com - Date: 2004-02-06 04:28 pm (UTC) - Expand

From:

x-polarisstar.livejournal.com

I was promised a killer kitchen to play in...does that count?

When I enrolled, this was a place that the world didn't know about. Most of our parents knew what we were. Some of them didn't. This was a school. It was a school with a slightly odd curiculum, yes but hey, we're "gifted youngsters" so that's to be expected. We were learning to control powers that would have been dangerous without it.

Now everyone knows who we are. We did a big flashy news story and being mutants, we make for great press. So does that make it harder for us? Yeah. Does it make it so hard that we're better off alone in a world that still doesn't like us and might never? I don't think so which is why I'm still around.

Can we make things better around here? Probably. Most systems can use improvement. We've got lots of new people with new talents here. If they would like to see this place be safer, let them volunteer. We don't need more people able to kill. We need more people able to protect. They're not the same thing.

From:

x-dazzler.livejournal.com

That is a bad bad pun. Killer Kitchen. Geh.

You said something very important there Lorna. Thank you for reminding me.

Yes. This is a school.

Food for thought, that.

From:

xp_daytripper

Speaking as the "femme with her face smashed in and a gun to her head", I've got to say that while I wasn't expecting a free ride, I wasn't expecting to have my face smashed in an a gun held to my head in my first week. If Remy hadn't happened along, I wouldn't be here. Simple as that.

I don't expect things to be easy. They haven't been yet, an I don't expect them to change. But I was told that this was a better place than the streets, an I believed Romany an Pete an the X geezer when they told me that. An I don't see this place as a prison - if I did you wouldn't see the dust for me leaving. I'm willing to give this place a shot, since its willing to give me a shot. But its hard to live the normal life I'm expected, of classes an homework an all the rest of it, when I don't know whose coming after us next. I wasn't told by anyone that there had been previous raids, that there was a possibility of others, an that there were people here with connections to groups that might have a problem with those people being here. This is stuff I need to know, at least so I have a hiding place scoped out next time armed bastards come through the wide-open front door. Which I've done, by the way.

I'm working to learn how to protect meself. I'm working at getting better at me schoolwork so I can do something other than stand on street corners offering meself for a tenner. I'm working at learning to control me magic, an me mutation. I'm working to learn how to trust people, when I've never had cause to before. I'm not expecting any of it to come easy, believe me. This ain't a jail - bed's are more comfy, for a start. An if you want me gone, I'm gone. But don't sit there an say I expect everything on a silver platter, because I'm working harder than I ever have because Pete seems to think this place can do something for me, an him I trust. Least until I find out he's forgotten any more secret memos. *grins*

In return, all I expect is to be able to walk down the fucking hall without some bastard leaping out at me an deciding I'd look better with a major gunshot wound to the head. Not entirely unreasonable, I'd say.

From:

x-dazzler.livejournal.com

*sighs*

See my answer to Remy about the previous raids. We're not hiding anything. No one is lying to anyone about what happened. And no, we don't go telling everyone who walks off from the street (whether they lived there or not, oi) that we invaded by the US Army. We don't keep posters up on the walls informing every passer-by of this. Might be part of the healing process for those who were in the first attack, on a really random thought, mmm? But - as mentioned before... This isn't just staff. Every person in this house at the time is aware of what happened. You want to start throwing about accusations of lies and witholding of information, make sure that's what people are doing first? Because otherwise, you're heading for the extremely insulting towards people who have lived earlier events zone.

No one wants anyone gone. Well, I don't want anyone gone - better to speak for myself here. However, constantly lashing out and attacking people for things they can't control or predict isn't going to get you anywhere either. Treating people who are trying and genuinely want to help you like the ennemy sure ain't going to help either. Might wear them down eventually though. Which would suck donkey balls though a big bendy straw. (Who, I ask, said this near Miles??!) And common sense - if you're here because you're in trouble, how far a reach is it to consider that you might not be the only one? Just think about it.

Wanting to be safe? Not unreasonnable. The same those who walk down the street everyday expecting not to be mugged, run over by a car, or have a building fall on them expects this as well. No one expect being shot at by someone off in the distance with a high powered sniper rifle either. Look at the news. On varying levels, life happens to everyone every day. People get into car accidents. People get murdered in the safety of their homes. People get mugged.

Wanting to be safe is normal.

Not being safe and life throwing stuff at you regardless of what you want?

Yeah, normal too. Methinks you'd know all about that one, actually. *wry*

So, how we deal with this and how we regroup from it and how we make sure it doesn't happen again?

Well, that's up to each and every single one of us. Attitude in the doing, will be telling. Very much so.

May I suggest you simply post to the

x_journal community? Just try this. Ask. Instead of lashing out and accusing, as many have been doing over and over and over again instead of just trying another path instead... Just post and ask. What is going on for security? What measures are being taken? What can we do to help? How can we help?

Because if no one starts asking and initiating talk that's not about telling everyone here how much they suck, it's hard to just sit there and spew the entire contents of our lives and schedules, just in the off chance that someone might want to know something about it. It's already been said, several times by several people, that if you ask about something, we will try out best to answer. With what we know.

But if you don't ask, we can't answer. Can we.

So. Sounds fair?

From:

xp_daytripper

Well, that's up to each and every single one of us. Attitude in the doing, will be telling. Very much so.

Protection spell on the house. Healing meself an three other people. Taking every defence class I can get, 'cause magic don't do shit against metal guns.

I'm doin' what I can.

From:

x-empath.livejournal.com

Which "they" walked up to you and said you had to trust them and they expected it from you?

~translated from the Castillian~

Ms Frost said that to me. And I believed her, and am thus alive to talk about it now.
And I know all about trust. It's a nice sparkly golden color - when it's honest. When it isn't, it's still yellow, but a duller, flatter shade.

I cannot explain it properly. I can sense when people lie to me. Everyone lies, so I've become quite accustomed to it. I lie, you lie, everyone lies.

The trick is knowing what lies are sincere, and which are not.

~translated from the Castillian~

MdlR

From:

x-dazzler.livejournal.com

Situation is a factor, particularly in your case. Most of the students don't come to us in the conditions you did, Manuel. For which I'm glad, I admit. Most other, well actually, all other students can't automatically tell truth from lie, either. Not in the way you can. I suspect, though, that it doesn't make any easier for you to actually trust others. But that's me making an assumption. Corrent me if I'm wrong?

Indeed it is. Come find me when you've time. I'd like to talk to you. :)

From:

x-cypher.livejournal.com

I can tell truth from lie. Usually. Though not in the way Manuel can.

Heh. Y'know, between Manuel and myself, we'd probably make a pretty effective lie-detector. Who needs a polygraph? :)

From:

x-rogue.livejournal.com

No one promised me anything, I know that much. Then again, my admission here was somewhat unorthodox. Leaving isn't a huge option for me either, even if I wanted to, though I think I could stay a few steps ahead of the people who'd be interested in meeting up with me. I trust people here when I'm not being affected by self-inflicted paranoia. >.<;;

The students will calm down, I'm sure of it. I'm kind of counting on this being part of a natural process that will settle out. Dr Samson will probably help a lot with that, too.

From:

x-dazzler.livejournal.com

Hey, I hear you. Nothing really normal about why I'm here either. Leaving? Not so good as well. I could, but it wouldn't be any sort of life - and I don't want to take Miles from here so it'd be a tricky proposition at best. And he wouldn't be safe with me out there...

*wry*

Yeah, but for how long will they calm down? That's what's getting to me. Being treated like the ennemy all the time gets so damn exhausting - even if there's a lack of realisation at the effect of actions and words on their parts.

Dr Samsom. You know, might not be a bad idea for me to have a few chats with him, at this point.

*shakes head*

I'm tired of this fighting on every front.

From:

x-juggernaut.livejournal.com

It's like I said before, kids these days are selfish and spoiled. I'll be the first to say - not all of them, some have their heads on straight. But you're not the only one who's hearing the children whine "But what about ME? How can YOU keep ME safe?"

With as many of them who've bragged about being tough because the big bad world's picked on them, and the shit they've gone through, and how they're such badasses because they're not scared of anything - I'm wondering how many of them would rather be back where they came from instead of appreciating the gift they're being given here.

An education (such as it is) when regular schools would kick them out.

A place to sleep when their own family would look at them with suspicion and fear.

Somewhere to be with people who they should be able to relate to, when the rest of the world's going to look at them like a freak.

I've heard more than one kid say "Out there, this wouldn't have happened." Right. Because out there, they'd be dead. Plain and simple.

The Professor opened up his HOME to these kids, and all I'm hearing from a good number of them is how he's not doing a good enough job. You look a gift horse in the mouth too many times, he's eventually bound to buck you over that fence right back into the "real world".

From:

x-skin.livejournal.com

I never expected or got promised the world on a platter. Not something it's ever occurred to me to want, mostly 'cause for most of my life, I've known I wasn't gonna get it. What I wanted was the refuge ~~they~~ Scott, since you want names, told me I was coming to, where I could work on my powers and work on making myself a happy ever after.

And I know this place isn't a prison, any more than it's the worst place in the world. Far from it - it's a hell of a lot better than where I came from. And I have ties here now, and for those reasons I wouldn't do anything different if I got the chance - it'd be stupid to walk away from a roof over my head and regular good food, not to mention the great people here.

But it would've been nice to make an informed choice, before I got here and got attached to the people and the place, and then there wasn't any choice at all, or not one I want to be forced to make. I'd most likely've made the exact same decision all the same, but I'd've liked to make it with all the facts in front of me. That's all.