040 red letters - Broadcast

[eat_me_beat_me]

[It's Monday night boys and girls. But instead of the usual dose of Leonard Cohen a slightly different version of Everybody Knows comes flowing over the radio waves. The entire song plays through followed by a moment of silence broken only by the flick of a cigarette lighter. Unexpectedly, it's followed not by Mark's voice - but Nora's]

Don't bother trying to adjust your dials. This is Nora. I'm giving Mark a break this week. Come on, with how hard he works keeping everyone in this ridiculous castle informed I think he deserves one, don't you?

So let's see. Let's start this off easy with a welcome to all the new people here at Castle Wonderfuck: Helen, Sam, Guilmon, Takato, Howl, Tyrion, Lucy and Charming. Wait... there's really a dude here named Charming? That's... okay yeah that's a new one on me and I know a guy named Maz. Makes you wonder if he really lives up to his name. [Ahem] Anyway, I hope you're all ready for one hell of a ride. This place gets to everyone after a while. One day you're a perfectly abby-normal human being wondering how many kids are in the castle and the next day you're naming the clinic its own sovereign state. But don't worry, it happens to the best of us.

[There's a pause as she takes another drag on her cigarette]

Seriously, though. This place makes me wonder... It throws everyone off by bringing people back with all their memories of when they used to live here but it's been, like, less than a year and a whole bunch of them have gone home already. What's the point of bringing them back at all? Is it just trying to confuse us? Because last time I looked that wasn't hard to do. Just stick a whole bunch of people in the kitchen and chances are one of them will blow up the microwave because they don't know what the hell it is. Hey, there's a good idea for an experiment - throw groups in the kitchen and find out how many people end up destroying household appliances. That way when people come here we can pull something like what my homeroom teacher did. You know - "look to your left. Look to your right. One of you will not make it to graduation." Except it'll be, "Of the seven of you who just got here - one will do something stupid in the kitchen."

[She sighs, pausing for another moment as she thinks]

That's what really pisses me off about this place. Not the blowing shit up in the kitchen part. The fact that no one seems to give a rat's ass about any of it. I feel like the proverbial broken record beating a dead horse but people don't seem to react to anything. Sure there are a few people who have legitimate, honest reactions. But most people out there... it's like nothing phases them. Shit blowing up, being transported to another world... [she pauses] everything else... It's like people have got blinders on. They only see what they want to so they can keep going with their lives. I know they say that ignorance is bliss but where’s the line when it just becomes conveniently selective blindness?

You know what that makes me want to do even more? Shake people out of it- try to get people to react. See how long it takes people to finally snap and say “What the fuck is wrong with you?!” And you know what I’m gonna do when that happens? Smile and say “Nothing. Why? What’s wrong with you?”

((OOC: Also - Expedition Planning Post! And for those of you tracking Zelman's shenanigans, some links: Adachi's murder | Sherlock's announcement | Reno's post identifying Adachi | Faye being attacked | Spike discovers Faye))

Comments

Dictated

[wilder]

Really?

I still get those kinda reactions here.

Dictated

[eat_me_beat_me]

Somehow I'm not surprised. [She laughs] Hey, how're you doing? Haven't talked to you since you got back to normal.

[courageous_wit]

Hello, Nora. Give Mark my best wishes. I'm always glad to listen in to his show.

[eat_me_beat_me]

I will. I'll, uh, be sure to tell him.

[Once he's back from his trip to the Dead Zone the stupid asshat. Leaving her to sit here and worry about him.]

Can you believe he used to do this every night back home?

[traken_master]

I agree with you, my dear. Far too many people accept that we are here and think we have no will or power to change things.

[eat_me_beat_me]

Yeah. It's really disgusting the way people just sit back and say "well that's the castle."

Dictated

[willalwaysfindyou]

[He laughs.]

What a warm welcome. Thank you. I hope you're not disappointed in my charm.

Forever!

[eat_me_beat_me]

Charming, I presume? Hey, you're welcome. I hope your stay here at this ridiculous castle is a good one.

Dictated

[both_neither]

People have blinders on at home, too, you know. You can't react to everything and stay sane. Even when not dealing with magical castles.

Forever!

[eat_me_beat_me]

Yeah, but there's a difference between reacting to everything and not reacting to shit. It seems like it takes a cattle prod to the ass to make anyone here to react to anything at all.

[lord_wizard]

Mmm. The problem with shaking people around here is you're never sure who you're going to upset and how dangerous they are.

[Nora]

Should I be worried?

[eat_me_beat_me]

Yeah, but that's part of the fun!

[Felix]

I don't know... maybe? [she sighs] I sure as shit am. He went to the Dead Zone for the night. He says he'll be back tomorrow but I'm worried about him...

[formercheerio]

Charming, seriously? I don't think I'll stop finding the weird stuff weird.

[eat_me_beat_me]

Seriously! That's how he introduced himself. [she laughs] Granted, I've met people here with weirder names but still.

[withmymind]

It can be nicer.

[eat_me_beat_me]

The castle? Yeah, it can. I mean, it does some nice things but overall it's kinda a dick.

Dictated forever

[whichwayyoulean]

Sorry, last time I asked an honest question about this place, people got all depressed and defensive. I think some of them prefer to live with the blinders on. Maybe it makes this stupid, insane experience more bearable for them.

[eat_me_beat_me]

I don't know, maybe. Personally I'd rather not drink the kool aid. I can't stand the thought of just waving off everything that happens.

[jimfromit]

Excuse me?...did you say Charming?

Like in "Prince Charming"?

[eat_me_beat_me]

Well I don't know if he's a prince or not but that's what he said his name was.

[checklist]

...Beating a dead what now?

[eat_me_beat_me]

Beating a dead horse. It's a term that means doing something completely useless.

Dictated

[raaaaage]

I think the shaking thing usually just makes people angry.

Dictated forever

[eat_me_beat_me]

I tend to have that effect on people. You know... like principals, guidance counselors...

[stalkershiki]

Yeah, but... I mean, if you freak out over every little change that happens, then how can you deal with all of them, you know? I mean, when I first got here, I used to nearly break down over everything that happened to me... now I only really get upset when my friends leave, and that's because I miss them, you know?

[eat_me_beat_me]

I'm not saying people should have a complete meltdown every time something happens. But there are too many people here who can see a fucking tentacle monster or some shit and just shrug and keep going with their lives like it's absolutely nothing. It's like they're completely desensitized to everything.