Hrm. I'm curious.

[x-dazzler.livejournal.com]

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?

Comments

Re:

[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".

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[x-rahne.livejournal.com]

Mr. Marko, I get the impression that some of them aren't sure at all they don't want to go back to dangers they already know how to deal with.

I can't speak to all that. My guardian does know I'm here. I could go back home -- I think -- though since I don't know what to do on my own and home is in Scotland, I would be in trouble if I were just thrown out, but I don't think the professor would quite do that. "Mutant" was a relief compared to "werewolf"; they'd let me out of the cage before Reverend Craig decided to send me off here. I stopped in during the visit to Muir, and 'twas a little uncomfortable, but not so bad. When I found out about the U.S. Army attacking a little before I arrived, I did think about asking to.

Likely I was mostly homesick then. I haven't asked yet. Maybe I ought to, if I'm just being troublesome here.

But Ms. Blaire, yes, you've pointed to all those journal entries about attacks. No, we maybe don't spend a lot of time talking about them now. It still does come as a shock to find out that sort of thing after getting here. It did to me, and that was before there'd been a second one -- much less a second one in the school, when I found out what a man's breaking bone felt like between my teeth. (I know. I know. So many of the rest of you have killed, and you'll only think me a silly child about that. But it was memorable, anyway.) You can't read the journal systems without finding out about them first, and for most people that's after they get here. Nor's it quite something everybody necessarily thinks to do.

The professor's been very kind. So have quite a lot of the other people here. I know that some didn't have other places they could go, even though I can't say I know what it's like.

It still seems to me 'twould be right to mention some of the kind of things that've happened before someone comes here.

But I know what I think doesn't really matter.

Re:

[x-juggernaut.livejournal.com]

From what I gather, there's folks outside these walls that're just as dangerous as the guys who came after Wisdom, or Stryker's boys who came in after the Professor.

There are a lot of hard facts that you kids are going to have to come to terms with, and one of them's that there isn't anywhere that's going to be "safe". Not unless you go underground, hide, and pretend you're not what you are.

Here at least, there's other folks in the same boat as you. That's got to be worth something.

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[x-marrow.livejournal.com]

Not unless you go underground

I tried that. It didn't work.

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[x-rahne.livejournal.com]

I know there are people as dangerous outside. Those ones came in from outside, after all. I know 'tisn't necessarily safe anywhere, even though I can't say I've exactly come to terms with that. I'm not saying it isn't worth anything to be with the people here. I'm very glad to have met some of them, and I am grateful to the professor. Maybe home wouldn't be safe for me, though I'm quite sure it's safer for me than the other options some people have, and I know I can't complain.

'Tis just that I can understand being upset about getting here and then finding out that 'tis a target as well as a school.

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[x-marrow.livejournal.com]

"But what about ME? How can YOU keep ME safe?"

If hearing that bothers you so much, they why do you get so pissed off when they decide they want to learn to keep themselves safe?

Re:

[x-juggernaut.livejournal.com]

Look, you kids want to stab each other, screw each other - you do what you're going to do as long as you keep it to yourselves and don't make a mess.

But the instant one little wannabe thug talks about teaching kids to use guns in this house - that's making yourself a target, and hell - I'll be the FIRST one lining up to throw you to the next group of soldiers kicking in the door if you think there's going to be guns in this house.

You kids have enough ways to endanger each other. I'm not allowing any more to be brought into this house.

Re:

[x-marrow.livejournal.com]

Gun lessons were _not_ the main point of Angelo's offer. He offered to help with what he had experience in, either knives, hand-to-hand, or guns. The guns were not a guarantee. So you don't like the gun idea. Fine. But let's not overgeneralize here. He offered first to help.

Somehow I don't think that offering to help your classmates should make someone a "wannabe thug".

Re:

[x-juggernaut.livejournal.com]

You're talking like he's a trained expert. Last I recall, his self-defense course got canceled when he took a few swings at Sparky and the chick with the Kentucky accent a few months back. Real stable kinda guy you want teaching kids to protect themselves.

Best leave that stuff to the professionals, kid.

Re:

[x-marrow.livejournal.com]

Real stable kinda guy you want teaching kids to protect themselves.

It's never stopped us before.

Re:

[x-juggernaut.livejournal.com]

Yeah, and didn't all your people get themselves killed? LEARN from mistakes, kid.

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[x-shinobi.livejournal.com]

I believe she was referring to a few members of this school's faculty, sir.

Re:

[x-juggernaut.livejournal.com]

Learning how to kill and learning how to defend yourself are different things. From what I've seen, what passes for an instructor here can't tell the difference.

Re:

[x-shinobi.livejournal.com]

He actually isn't who I was thinking of, but I've already relayed my concerns to the staff. No need for me to air them out here, as well.

Re:

[x-juggernaut.livejournal.com]

Fair enough.

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[x-marrow.livejournal.com]

Yeah. They're dead, because somebody from the outside thought it'd be fun to use us for fucking target practice. How was that _our_ mistake?

Re:

[x-juggernaut.livejournal.com]

And you don't seem to have learned a damn thing from it, not if you're buying in to the "let's share what we know" network, when what you children know is less than shit. You think you're a badass - didn't save all your people. Angelo thinks he's a badass, didn't save him from getting his ass set on fire and thrown down the stairs.

I ain't saying "shut up and listen" just because you're kids - it's because you straight-up don't have the experience to handle security issues and the kind of things that have gone on. Hell, most of your teachers don't either, and the "X-Men" sure as hell don't have a damn clue.

For all Wisdom's flaws, if he figured out a way to break into this place, he should be able to figure out a way to stop people from it. He fucked up, it cost us some, now we learn from it. THAT'S the kind of mistakes I'm talking about.

Re:

[x-marrow.livejournal.com]

....Okay. So If I don't know shit, then somebody had better fucking teach me. Finding everybody dead didn't just teach me that blood makes good fingerpaint; I also know that I refuse to be caught off-guard ever again.

And I mean that.