I don't know if this is anything close to the same situation. But I don't want to see you be hurt or killed for breaking the rules of this place. Even if it's the right thing to do, if it gets you killed, then what good does it do for everyone else left behind?
I want to hope there's another way. I think, maybe, in an ideal situation, we could all work together.
I wanted to hope that the last time, too. I tried so hard.
[luna. . . every word he reads on her notes tugs at his heartstrings and sends his blood boiling at the same time. he wants to tell her everything will be okay. he wants to make everything okay. for her, and for everyone else in this stupid house]
I won't do anything reckless. I can only help if I'm alive, after all. If I died rebelling for the sake of rebelling, then my death wouldn't mean anything.
But I'm also going to do what I think is right and just.
And I think if we keep trying-- keep FIGHTING-- then maybe we CAN overcome this. All of us. Together.
[he's trying to be optimistic-- both for her sake and his-- but it probably sounds pretty flat when said to someone who saw the worst end of her first murder game]
No. You have nothing to apologize for. I understand how you're feeling. It's OKAY to feel that way.
You've done so much for everyone here already in just the short week we've been here. So in the moments where you're caught up in yourself and your own fears, that's when the people you've befriended will be there to help you.
[yanks at his heartstrings. possibly because he understands how that feels all too well. not because he was shy, but because making friends quickly was not something he usually did when he had never really had a place to belong until recently]
[he knows she can't hear him, but he calls out her name anyway, pressing his forehead against her door like he could somehow faze right through it to give her a much-deserved hug :(]
It's a thought experiment. I'll see if I can simplify it.
A group of five explorers sets off into an unknown cave. While exploring, the cave collapses, and they are completely unable to escape. They do have a radio, so while they are trapped, they learn that a rescue team has been established, but that the chances they will be rescued before they all starve to death is very, very slim.
They can either do nothing with an extremely high chance of death for at least one, if not all five, or they can eat one of their own and spare the other four lives.
They decide to do the latter, and toss die to determine who will be killed and eaten. The person who dies - let's call them H - is killed and eaten, and the other four are rescued several days after the incident. They are then immediately arrested when they are found to have committed cannibalism, and thus, face the death penalty for murder.
The experiment, therefore, proposes the following issue:
Are the four deserving of death for taking the life of H? Or does natural circumstance excuse them of their actions and allow them clemency?
[Akira takes time with his response, but once he slips it under the door, it is well thought out]
No. They don't deserve to die for taking H's life. They did what they had to do in order to survive; how can anyone blame them for that? And presumably, if they all rolled the dice, then H also agreed to those terms knowing full well that the could have been the one chosen to die.
But. . . that said, it's a complicated situation.
You didn't ask this, but let's say H left his family behind. Would they have the right to be upset about what had happened? Would they have the right to seek out justice for what happened?
I think the answer to that is "yes," too.
The world doesn't exist in a vacuum. Every action taken affects someone. And while those actions may seem "right" for the sake of survival, and while we can't blame anyone for taking actions to ensure their survival. . . we can still hold them responsible for understanding the gravity of what they've done. And I still think it's okay to strive to make decisions that DON'T hurt someone else, even if it lessens or lowers the chance of survival.
If we knew more details, then yes, it becomes more nuanced. But the experiment exists with that limited knowledge for a reason.
It's normally used to argue the different effects between personal law and natural law in regards to the normal regulations of a judicial system. But I think it's something that reminds me of our current situation, I suppose.
If we knew more details about Haruka, or about Nikki, or about what circumstances led one to kill the other, would that have made the decisions we made more difficult? I think so, yes. But with the limited information we had available, we had to sort out what was right with what we knew, and only what we knew.
Does Nikki deserve death for taking the like of Haruka? Or does natural circumstance excuse her of her actions and allow her mercy?
[again, his reply takes some time. mostly because he isn't sure he likes simplifying the issue to natural law versus personal law. in his experience. . . nothing is ever that simple. justice is a mult-faceted monster, and even if you do what you believe in-- fight for what you believe is right-- you still have to consider your actions from all angles]
[that's how he took responsibility as a phantom thief. that was how he kept himself from going too far while he and his team played with the hearts of the wicked]
I don't think the situation with Haruka-san and Nikki-san can be broken down to something that simple. There's just too much going on in all direcitons. But personally?
I believe Nikki-san deserved mercy.
[it's actually why he held his hand out to her once they figured out she was the culprit]
But considering the state she was in by the end of the trial, what counts as mercy? Keeping her alive but imprisoned as she slowly loses her mind, her sense of self? Or. . .
How you've answered my questions has been more than enough proof for me.
Yes.
Perhaps it's not the most logical answer, or the one that would make the most sense in the line of what we've talked about. But she's still a human, isn't she?
I don't know why she did what she did. I don't know if she was even herself anymore. But I still don't want her to die.
[and he means that. despite him questioning what "mercy" is. . . he means that with every inch of him]
Haruka-san's death was already bad enough.
[and while he had voted for Nikki knowing that he had no other choice. . . he wish that things had been different. that they had the option to save her, to cure her, to give her back her mind and stop her from killing again without having to execute her to accomplish this]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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I don't want anyone else to die, either.
I want to do something to stop it before it happens again.
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I don't know if this is anything close to the same situation. But I don't want to see you be hurt or killed for breaking the rules of this place. Even if it's the right thing to do, if it gets you killed, then what good does it do for everyone else left behind?
I want to hope there's another way. I think, maybe, in an ideal situation, we could all work together.
I wanted to hope that the last time, too. I tried so hard.
But so many people died.
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I won't do anything reckless. I can only help if I'm alive, after all. If I died rebelling for the sake of rebelling, then my death wouldn't mean anything.
But I'm also going to do what I think is right and just.
And I think if we keep trying-- keep FIGHTING-- then maybe we CAN overcome this. All of us. Together.
[he's trying to be optimistic-- both for her sake and his-- but it probably sounds pretty flat when said to someone who saw the worst end of her first murder game]
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I'm sorry. You're out there trying to do your best despite everything, and I'm sitting in here wrapped up in my own errors.
I suppose that's a little hypocritical of me. To be so caught up in myself when I know others are hurt. I shouldn't.
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You've done so much for everyone here already in just the short week we've been here. So in the moments where you're caught up in yourself and your own fears, that's when the people you've befriended will be there to help you.
People like me.
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]
You consider me a friend?
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Is that a surprise?
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Maybe it's because I'm shy, but I don't really make acquaintances. So I'm just used to being alone.
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[yanks at his heartstrings. possibly because he understands how that feels all too well. not because he was shy, but because making friends quickly was not something he usually did when he had never really had a place to belong until recently]
[gosh]
[AKIRA WILL NOW DIE FOR LUNA]
Well. . .
I hope you don't mind having one now.
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From the other side of the door can be heard the very, very soft sounds of someone crying.]
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-- Luna?
[he knows she can't hear him, but he calls out her name anyway, pressing his forehead against her door like he could somehow faze right through it to give her a much-deserved hug :(]
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Anyway he, of course, gets no response! But the note will slip back out in a minute.]
Thank you.
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Any time, Luna.
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But
Akira, have you ever heard of the case of the Speluncean Explorers?
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I haven't. Can you tell me about it?
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A group of five explorers sets off into an unknown cave. While exploring, the cave collapses, and they are completely unable to escape. They do have a radio, so while they are trapped, they learn that a rescue team has been established, but that the chances they will be rescued before they all starve to death is very, very slim.
They can either do nothing with an extremely high chance of death for at least one, if not all five, or they can eat one of their own and spare the other four lives.
They decide to do the latter, and toss die to determine who will be killed and eaten. The person who dies - let's call them H - is killed and eaten, and the other four are rescued several days after the incident. They are then immediately arrested when they are found to have committed cannibalism, and thus, face the death penalty for murder.
The experiment, therefore, proposes the following issue:
Are the four deserving of death for taking the life of H? Or does natural circumstance excuse them of their actions and allow them clemency?
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[Akira takes time with his response, but once he slips it under the door, it is well thought out]
No. They don't deserve to die for taking H's life. They did what they had to do in order to survive; how can anyone blame them for that? And presumably, if they all rolled the dice, then H also agreed to those terms knowing full well that the could have been the one chosen to die.
But. . . that said, it's a complicated situation.
You didn't ask this, but let's say H left his family behind. Would they have the right to be upset about what had happened? Would they have the right to seek out justice for what happened?
I think the answer to that is "yes," too.
The world doesn't exist in a vacuum. Every action taken affects someone. And while those actions may seem "right" for the sake of survival, and while we can't blame anyone for taking actions to ensure their survival. . . we can still hold them responsible for understanding the gravity of what they've done. And I still think it's okay to strive to make decisions that DON'T hurt someone else, even if it lessens or lowers the chance of survival.
Does that make sense?
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It's normally used to argue the different effects between personal law and natural law in regards to the normal regulations of a judicial system. But I think it's something that reminds me of our current situation, I suppose.
If we knew more details about Haruka, or about Nikki, or about what circumstances led one to kill the other, would that have made the decisions we made more difficult? I think so, yes. But with the limited information we had available, we had to sort out what was right with what we knew, and only what we knew.
Does Nikki deserve death for taking the like of Haruka? Or does natural circumstance excuse her of her actions and allow her mercy?
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[that's how he took responsibility as a phantom thief. that was how he kept himself from going too far while he and his team played with the hearts of the wicked]
I don't think the situation with Haruka-san and Nikki-san can be broken down to something that simple. There's just too much going on in all direcitons. But personally?
I believe Nikki-san deserved mercy.
[it's actually why he held his hand out to her once they figured out she was the culprit]
But considering the state she was in by the end of the trial, what counts as mercy? Keeping her alive but imprisoned as she slowly loses her mind, her sense of self? Or. . .
[and there, the writing trails off]
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You're really a very kind person, Akira.
I mean that.
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I don't think of myself as kind. People like you are kind.
[. . .]
What about you? Do you also think that Nikki-san deserved mercy?
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Yes.
Perhaps it's not the most logical answer, or the one that would make the most sense in the line of what we've talked about. But she's still a human, isn't she?
I don't know why she did what she did. I don't know if she was even herself anymore. But I still don't want her to die.
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[and he means that. despite him questioning what "mercy" is. . . he means that with every inch of him]
Haruka-san's death was already bad enough.
[and while he had voted for Nikki knowing that he had no other choice. . . he wish that things had been different. that they had the option to save her, to cure her, to give her back her mind and stop her from killing again without having to execute her to accomplish this]
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I don't think killing someone else will make anything better. Even if some sense of justice is served, it feels empty and useless.
Could I tell you something in confidence, Akira?
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But it wasn't "just."
And you can. I promise I won't tell anyone else.
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