York (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
infailtration) wrote2019-10-24 10:33 pm
infailtration) wrote2019-10-24 10:33 pm
LifeAftr Application
Player Information
Name: Ana
Age: 31
Contact:![[plurk.com profile]](https://plurk.com/favicon.ico)
cuddlebug or journal PM
Current characters: n/a
Character Information
Name: York (aka Agent New York, Foxtrot 12, headcanon name Josh Lansing)
Series: Red vs Blue
Appearance: canon appearance - approx 6'2", short brown hair, muscular, scarred, most prominently across his left eye and down his cheek; that eye is blind and pure white
Age: no canon age, estimated 28-30
Canon Point: Out of Mind part 5 (post-death)
Canon History: his RvB wiki is pretty thorough!
Personality: York is the most casual, most social, and by far friendliest member of Project Freelancer. From the start he comes across as very laid-back, with an uncanny ability to maintain his chill in super high-stress situations. He's always the one to try and defuse tension, imploring friends and foes alike to calm down. Even when absolutely everything is going wrong, York doesn't get worked up. He'll just make a snarky comment to express his displeasure (or yell "I don't wanna do this!" while leaping off a collapsing skyscraper) and adapt, coming up with a solution on the fly. And if that one doesn't work either, well, try try again. He prefers to have a plan, but is more than capable of improvising when the situation demands it. The other characters joke that York is more lucky than he is good at his job as an infiltrator, but if you look closely you see that York is actually incredibly observant and far more intelligent than he first appears. He just doesn't really play that up.
The thing is, despite being genuinely friendly and well-intentioned, York is not the best communicator and has a tendency to miss the mark getting his meaning across. Being smart doesn't mean he's especially eloquent. He's naturally chatty and talks a bit too much, and his jokes are sometimes inappropriate to the mood and fall flat, or his teasing will come off a bit sharper than he meant it to. He's honest (and a shit liar as well) and not particularly tactful, a combination that doesn't earn him points. Expressing concern for his teammates can sound like he feels he knows best, so when he actually has something important to say they tend to brush him off. The exception is North, who can articulate York's thoughts better than York himself -- often he'll be searching for how to phrase something and North will just finish his sentence, knowing exactly what his friend was trying to say. No one else seems to really "get" him in that way, though. For the most part York is well-liked, but gets along with everyone mostly thanks to his easy demeanor and the fact that it's so obvious how much he cares for his team. He also seemingly lets things roll off him for the sake of keeping the peace -- there's enough conflict among the Freelancers already, sometimes to the point that it compromises missions and Agents' safety, so he's not going to add to that in the moment. But underneath, York has questions of his own.
York is a naturally curious person, a critical thinker that often philosophizes about their situation and questions the motives behind what they're being told to do. Ultimately they're all here to win the war, yes, but Freelancer keeps nearly everything a secret. The true purpose of the leaderboard, the origin of the AIs, and even seemingly vital details like mission objectives (who are we attacking? what's in the package we're stealing? is the Alpha a myth?) are all classified and this bothers York a great deal.
He's on the right track, too. At the point where York is really questioning and starting to doubt, he's been given an AI to help him run his armor enhancements and compensate for his blind side. In fact he's one of the first to get an AI, and the Freelancers learn that these are not full AI but fragments. They aren't told what that means exactly, just that each one is a specific trait and they've been matched with Agents based on personality. York's AI is designated Delta, and as the embodiment of logic he's rather uptight and robotic, with no understanding of humor and a strict adherence to protocol. He and York butt heads constantly at first, but then start to rub off on each other. York breaks protocol all the time, often for Delta's benefit, letting him chat with the other AI. Their arguing over proper courses of action evolves into gentler bickering and finally good natured suggestions, and over time Delta develops a sense of humor a lot like York's, dry and teasing. But Delta's origin will remain a secret awhile longer.
Part of York's digging for answers is due to the fact that he has such a strong moral compass. He expresses to North in a private moment that he fears they might not be the good guys after all -- he doesn't want to doubt the Project but he has a deep and driving need to be doing the right thing, and pretty early on he can see signs that things just don't add up. Things omitted, or the way they're scolded for asking even simple questions, and Delta's murmurs inside his head. These are all little red flags that inform his decision to trust that the data CT left for Tex is the actual truth and defect, despite his intense loyalty to his teammates. Despite how difficult it is for him to go against Carolina.
See, that need to do the right thing really bites York in the ass sometimes. First he tried to keep Tex from being hurt in the three-on-one training fight where he, Maine, and Wyoming were getting their asses thoroughly kicked. The other men repeatedly ignored his attempts to get the three of them to work as a team to beat her, instead resorting to using live ammo, and it cost him his left eye. Then he suspects that joining Freelancer to save humanity was probably a mistake, as they're wrapped up in some shady bullshit that isn't even war-adjacent anymore, and it's likely the people they're killing aren't bad guys. By the time Tex comes to him with the truth about the Project, learning about the torture of the Alpha AI is the final straw. It turns out the Alpha was not a myth, he was essentially a person that they tortured over and over again to split his personality into the fragments now living in the Agents' heads, some of which are causing serious problems. York needs to tilt the scales back, and so attacks the ship with Tex to try and free the Alpha... and this costs him Carolina. He isn't able to convince her to join them, but can't bring himself to hurt her, either. York loves Carolina intensely. Over the past two seasons we've seen him watch over her as she trains through the night, mother hen her before battles to make sure she's going to be okay, and remain at her sickbed for days straight holding her hand when she suffers a neural overload. His refusal to hurt her results in her knocking him out and when the dust settles, as far as York knows, Carolina is dead.
Following the crash of the Mother of Invention and the failure of their attack, York is forced to go on the run. If they catch him he's done, and they'll take Delta. It means splitting up from his known-to-be-alive friends and leaving Wash in the med bay, but he needs to go into hiding. For someone as social as York, this is pretty sucky, but he does still have Delta. Only Delta. The AI is now literally all of York's "human" contact, the only being in the galaxy he can trust, and he becomes his dearest friend and confidant. Delta listens to his stories and goes beyond the supposed limits of his programming, trying to better understand York's emotions. Some of these conversations are recorded as log entries in which York is sentimental and melancholy but still tries to be funny (he discusses which terrible pick up lines he would use on Carolina if she were somehow alive and they crossed paths again) and Delta's questions help guide York as he struggles to cope with his guilt and grief, and to resolve the fact that his stubborn hope that Carolina is out there somewhere is actually a reluctance to move on. For all that they didn't get along at the start this pair would now -- and in fact do -- give up their lives for each other. York continues running to protect his little buddy, despite it meaning that he is otherwise alone and has to resort to mild criminal acts like petty theft and break ins to survive. And when York is fatally wounded, Delta chooses to stay with him to ease his pain as he passes, despite their belief that if the AI is still in the implant when York dies he will be destroyed.
At this canon point, York is at first glance the same easygoing, super chill, joke cracking guy... but underneath he's struggling with a lot. There's something kind of world-weary in his voice, a bitterness about his situation that's settled into resignation that this is just how it is. He doesn't have the will or energy to be angry, and knows that it wouldn't change anything, but there's a heavy weight on him these days that he has no choice but to bear alone. He wonders if maybe he'd acted sooner, or been better at getting through to Carolina, or just fought harder, things could have gone better for everyone. It's not his fault that Freelancer went down in flames, he just wishes he'd pulled more of his friends from the fire. These days he also consults Delta on every decision he makes: if he should trust Tex in the first place when she comes to him for help, and whether or not to actually provide that help. The two no longer clash or disregard each other's advice, all their choices are made together. Ultimately, it's not that their enemy is planning something terrible that sways them. They decide the chance for some payback is worth the risks... the ultimate sign that York is burnt out on doing the right thing. He still has that desire to be the good guy, but just because his compass is pointing in the right direction doesn't mean he'll walk that way. Or at all, he's very tired and would like a vacation. Unfortunately, he died before he could catch a break.
Note: (It was a long time ago but I did ask once if Delta could accompany York and was told no, so this section is important, sorry for additional length!) The loss of Delta -- though I'm going with the gentlest possible interpretation here and he will not be experiencing the typical neurological damage that comes from traumatic ejection -- is going to change York's demeanor a bit. Delta has been sharing his mind for years and since leaving the Project, was his only friend. The two affected each other greatly both in terms of personality and altering York's cognition... the influence of Delta's logic tempered York and lent him confidence, and the constant stream of information (situation analysis, probability calculations, and sensory input that allowed York to know what was happening on his left side) is going to be extremely difficult for his mind to compensate for. Now that he only has his own judgment in a given situation, he'll struggle to choose what to do and as a result may hesitate from uncertainty or swing the other way and become reckless without Delta to advise him. Without Delta or his HUD trackers he will also finally have to learn to deal with being blind on his left side, and will probably be jumpy/easily startled when people approach on his left. On a purely emotional level, he'll feel very alone in his own head and will become even more talkative with others, seeking out company as much as possible. As far as York knows, when an agent dies their AI is destroyed, so he will assume Delta is just gone and will go through the stages of grief for his friend.
Abilities: York is a normal human and has no special powers. He is skilled in hand to hand combat, has extensive knowledge and skill with myriad firearms, questionable skill with lock picking, is an excellent driver, can pull all nighters easily, has some basic military training with field dressing, is good at keeping cool/his good humor under pressure, has a kind bedside manner, is fairly intuitive and a good judge of people, and is resourceful and a quick thinker.
Inventory: Ideally York will arrive in his armor, which is waterproof but I understand will be nonfunctional upon entry into the game, but I'd still like for him to have it as it's something of a safety blanket and connection to his previous identity. Its enhancement is a healing unit which I know will also never function again. Otherwise he will enter with a magnum handgun and a battle rifle, each with a modest amount of ammo (two clips each?) which may or may not be water damaged beyond use, and a combat knife. His only personal item is an old lighter with the Club Errera symbol on it -- I expect this can be dried out and spared.
Sample
Q&A:
What’s worse: self-isolation or rejection?
Self-isolation, absolutely. Take it from somebody who’s been rejected plenty, it’s not the end of the world. And if you’re not rejected, things can turn out amazing… isolating yourself eliminates the possibility of happiness, you might as well spend time with the people you want to and be honest with them about what you want. You just have to be willing to roll with a no, because if they’re somebody you want to spend time with then you still will, right? You’ll get past it. Or you won’t and you’ll just harbor those feelings until you learn to let things go… uh. But ideally you’ll still be around them. You won’t be alone, you won’t be missing them or wondering what if, right? Yeah. Self-isolation is worse.
If someone you admired asked you to do something you didn’t agree with, would you do it?
…how strongly do I not agree with this hypothetical thing I’ve been asked to do? I don’t think your question’s as clear-cut as all that. If I really don’t agree, I’d try to talk them out of it rather than doing it and maybe one of us will come around. Communication’s important, I’ve learned that. You’ve got to be true to what you believe but also manage to communicate the why of it, you know? Because maybe one of you is working with information that the other doesn’t have, or… they just haven’t thought about it the same way. I guess my answer is maybe, but it depends on a lot of things.
What kind of impression do you think you give to others?
These days? A little sketchy but fun, I think. It used to just be the fun part — I hope, anyway. Not everyone’s gonna like you for that but I tried to be chill, roll with the punches. Less serious, you know? There are plenty of those types around, I’m the guy who cracks a joke even at their own expense to keep things light. There’s enough tension in the world.
Is it better to have loved and lost, or never to have loved at all?
[ York is quiet for a long stretch. He has to debate this one, because… the loss hurts. More than anything, and as much as he’s told himself to let things go, he hasn’t managed it. He’s still holding on to his memories and dreams of what could have been, instead of facing the reality fully. He knows what happened. He knows what can’t happen now. But it hurts so much. Still, he remembers her smile, closes his eyes and can almost smell her hair. If he ever does manage to let go, he tells himself he won’t forget. ]
Loved and lost.
[ There’s no further elaboration. ]
How could someone you dislike earn their way into your good graces?
Why do I dislike them? Because it’s all about behavior. You can sound like a dick but still have my back, you know? It’s if somebody’s trying, to be useful or helpful or whatever, if they’re legit fighting with me or we just aren’t compatible to be friends. Somebody who does the right thing when they’re faced with a choice… that’s someone who’s going to earn their way in, no matter what our other differences. I might not want to go for a drink with you, but I’ll respect you. For something, at least.
How well do you think you perform under pressure?
Excellently. Don’t laugh, I’m right about this one. Sometimes a little pressure even helps… and before you bring up locks, if I can’t do a thing I wouldn’t be able to without it, anyway. Fact is I’m pretty kickass at ignoring fear or nerves to get shit done. If it’s what has to happen, it’ll happen, I’ll make it happen. Pressure doesn’t affect my abilities…. No, seriously, stop laughing.
What would you change about the world, if you were able?
I’d change people. And by that I mean all species, just… people. We’re the ones who cause all the problems. If the world was just a little kinder, people trying to do good instead of serving themselves and not giving a fuck about everyone else, we’d be so much better off. Just get rid of that willingness to hurt people for our own gain, and like seventy-five percent of our problems would be solved, right? People can still be assholes, as long as they’re not hurting anybody. Almost my entire life was spent in a war, you know that? How much shit is that? How many people died for nothing, for—
[ He cuts himself off, because that got too heavy — gotta lighten it up before ending the interview. ]
Yeah. Also, every system needs a proper farming colony. There are too many places where everything’s tank grown or shipped in and that’s just sad. For those of us who’ve had real meat before, there’s no comparing it. Hey, is there a chance of a steak around here?
Name: Ana
Age: 31
Contact:
Current characters: n/a
Character Information
Name: York (aka Agent New York, Foxtrot 12, headcanon name Josh Lansing)
Series: Red vs Blue
Appearance: canon appearance - approx 6'2", short brown hair, muscular, scarred, most prominently across his left eye and down his cheek; that eye is blind and pure white
Age: no canon age, estimated 28-30
Canon Point: Out of Mind part 5 (post-death)
Canon History: his RvB wiki is pretty thorough!
Personality: York is the most casual, most social, and by far friendliest member of Project Freelancer. From the start he comes across as very laid-back, with an uncanny ability to maintain his chill in super high-stress situations. He's always the one to try and defuse tension, imploring friends and foes alike to calm down. Even when absolutely everything is going wrong, York doesn't get worked up. He'll just make a snarky comment to express his displeasure (or yell "I don't wanna do this!" while leaping off a collapsing skyscraper) and adapt, coming up with a solution on the fly. And if that one doesn't work either, well, try try again. He prefers to have a plan, but is more than capable of improvising when the situation demands it. The other characters joke that York is more lucky than he is good at his job as an infiltrator, but if you look closely you see that York is actually incredibly observant and far more intelligent than he first appears. He just doesn't really play that up.
The thing is, despite being genuinely friendly and well-intentioned, York is not the best communicator and has a tendency to miss the mark getting his meaning across. Being smart doesn't mean he's especially eloquent. He's naturally chatty and talks a bit too much, and his jokes are sometimes inappropriate to the mood and fall flat, or his teasing will come off a bit sharper than he meant it to. He's honest (and a shit liar as well) and not particularly tactful, a combination that doesn't earn him points. Expressing concern for his teammates can sound like he feels he knows best, so when he actually has something important to say they tend to brush him off. The exception is North, who can articulate York's thoughts better than York himself -- often he'll be searching for how to phrase something and North will just finish his sentence, knowing exactly what his friend was trying to say. No one else seems to really "get" him in that way, though. For the most part York is well-liked, but gets along with everyone mostly thanks to his easy demeanor and the fact that it's so obvious how much he cares for his team. He also seemingly lets things roll off him for the sake of keeping the peace -- there's enough conflict among the Freelancers already, sometimes to the point that it compromises missions and Agents' safety, so he's not going to add to that in the moment. But underneath, York has questions of his own.
York is a naturally curious person, a critical thinker that often philosophizes about their situation and questions the motives behind what they're being told to do. Ultimately they're all here to win the war, yes, but Freelancer keeps nearly everything a secret. The true purpose of the leaderboard, the origin of the AIs, and even seemingly vital details like mission objectives (who are we attacking? what's in the package we're stealing? is the Alpha a myth?) are all classified and this bothers York a great deal.
He's on the right track, too. At the point where York is really questioning and starting to doubt, he's been given an AI to help him run his armor enhancements and compensate for his blind side. In fact he's one of the first to get an AI, and the Freelancers learn that these are not full AI but fragments. They aren't told what that means exactly, just that each one is a specific trait and they've been matched with Agents based on personality. York's AI is designated Delta, and as the embodiment of logic he's rather uptight and robotic, with no understanding of humor and a strict adherence to protocol. He and York butt heads constantly at first, but then start to rub off on each other. York breaks protocol all the time, often for Delta's benefit, letting him chat with the other AI. Their arguing over proper courses of action evolves into gentler bickering and finally good natured suggestions, and over time Delta develops a sense of humor a lot like York's, dry and teasing. But Delta's origin will remain a secret awhile longer.
Part of York's digging for answers is due to the fact that he has such a strong moral compass. He expresses to North in a private moment that he fears they might not be the good guys after all -- he doesn't want to doubt the Project but he has a deep and driving need to be doing the right thing, and pretty early on he can see signs that things just don't add up. Things omitted, or the way they're scolded for asking even simple questions, and Delta's murmurs inside his head. These are all little red flags that inform his decision to trust that the data CT left for Tex is the actual truth and defect, despite his intense loyalty to his teammates. Despite how difficult it is for him to go against Carolina.
See, that need to do the right thing really bites York in the ass sometimes. First he tried to keep Tex from being hurt in the three-on-one training fight where he, Maine, and Wyoming were getting their asses thoroughly kicked. The other men repeatedly ignored his attempts to get the three of them to work as a team to beat her, instead resorting to using live ammo, and it cost him his left eye. Then he suspects that joining Freelancer to save humanity was probably a mistake, as they're wrapped up in some shady bullshit that isn't even war-adjacent anymore, and it's likely the people they're killing aren't bad guys. By the time Tex comes to him with the truth about the Project, learning about the torture of the Alpha AI is the final straw. It turns out the Alpha was not a myth, he was essentially a person that they tortured over and over again to split his personality into the fragments now living in the Agents' heads, some of which are causing serious problems. York needs to tilt the scales back, and so attacks the ship with Tex to try and free the Alpha... and this costs him Carolina. He isn't able to convince her to join them, but can't bring himself to hurt her, either. York loves Carolina intensely. Over the past two seasons we've seen him watch over her as she trains through the night, mother hen her before battles to make sure she's going to be okay, and remain at her sickbed for days straight holding her hand when she suffers a neural overload. His refusal to hurt her results in her knocking him out and when the dust settles, as far as York knows, Carolina is dead.
Following the crash of the Mother of Invention and the failure of their attack, York is forced to go on the run. If they catch him he's done, and they'll take Delta. It means splitting up from his known-to-be-alive friends and leaving Wash in the med bay, but he needs to go into hiding. For someone as social as York, this is pretty sucky, but he does still have Delta. Only Delta. The AI is now literally all of York's "human" contact, the only being in the galaxy he can trust, and he becomes his dearest friend and confidant. Delta listens to his stories and goes beyond the supposed limits of his programming, trying to better understand York's emotions. Some of these conversations are recorded as log entries in which York is sentimental and melancholy but still tries to be funny (he discusses which terrible pick up lines he would use on Carolina if she were somehow alive and they crossed paths again) and Delta's questions help guide York as he struggles to cope with his guilt and grief, and to resolve the fact that his stubborn hope that Carolina is out there somewhere is actually a reluctance to move on. For all that they didn't get along at the start this pair would now -- and in fact do -- give up their lives for each other. York continues running to protect his little buddy, despite it meaning that he is otherwise alone and has to resort to mild criminal acts like petty theft and break ins to survive. And when York is fatally wounded, Delta chooses to stay with him to ease his pain as he passes, despite their belief that if the AI is still in the implant when York dies he will be destroyed.
At this canon point, York is at first glance the same easygoing, super chill, joke cracking guy... but underneath he's struggling with a lot. There's something kind of world-weary in his voice, a bitterness about his situation that's settled into resignation that this is just how it is. He doesn't have the will or energy to be angry, and knows that it wouldn't change anything, but there's a heavy weight on him these days that he has no choice but to bear alone. He wonders if maybe he'd acted sooner, or been better at getting through to Carolina, or just fought harder, things could have gone better for everyone. It's not his fault that Freelancer went down in flames, he just wishes he'd pulled more of his friends from the fire. These days he also consults Delta on every decision he makes: if he should trust Tex in the first place when she comes to him for help, and whether or not to actually provide that help. The two no longer clash or disregard each other's advice, all their choices are made together. Ultimately, it's not that their enemy is planning something terrible that sways them. They decide the chance for some payback is worth the risks... the ultimate sign that York is burnt out on doing the right thing. He still has that desire to be the good guy, but just because his compass is pointing in the right direction doesn't mean he'll walk that way. Or at all, he's very tired and would like a vacation. Unfortunately, he died before he could catch a break.
Note: (It was a long time ago but I did ask once if Delta could accompany York and was told no, so this section is important, sorry for additional length!) The loss of Delta -- though I'm going with the gentlest possible interpretation here and he will not be experiencing the typical neurological damage that comes from traumatic ejection -- is going to change York's demeanor a bit. Delta has been sharing his mind for years and since leaving the Project, was his only friend. The two affected each other greatly both in terms of personality and altering York's cognition... the influence of Delta's logic tempered York and lent him confidence, and the constant stream of information (situation analysis, probability calculations, and sensory input that allowed York to know what was happening on his left side) is going to be extremely difficult for his mind to compensate for. Now that he only has his own judgment in a given situation, he'll struggle to choose what to do and as a result may hesitate from uncertainty or swing the other way and become reckless without Delta to advise him. Without Delta or his HUD trackers he will also finally have to learn to deal with being blind on his left side, and will probably be jumpy/easily startled when people approach on his left. On a purely emotional level, he'll feel very alone in his own head and will become even more talkative with others, seeking out company as much as possible. As far as York knows, when an agent dies their AI is destroyed, so he will assume Delta is just gone and will go through the stages of grief for his friend.
Abilities: York is a normal human and has no special powers. He is skilled in hand to hand combat, has extensive knowledge and skill with myriad firearms, questionable skill with lock picking, is an excellent driver, can pull all nighters easily, has some basic military training with field dressing, is good at keeping cool/his good humor under pressure, has a kind bedside manner, is fairly intuitive and a good judge of people, and is resourceful and a quick thinker.
Inventory: Ideally York will arrive in his armor, which is waterproof but I understand will be nonfunctional upon entry into the game, but I'd still like for him to have it as it's something of a safety blanket and connection to his previous identity. Its enhancement is a healing unit which I know will also never function again. Otherwise he will enter with a magnum handgun and a battle rifle, each with a modest amount of ammo (two clips each?) which may or may not be water damaged beyond use, and a combat knife. His only personal item is an old lighter with the Club Errera symbol on it -- I expect this can be dried out and spared.
Sample
Q&A:
What’s worse: self-isolation or rejection?
Self-isolation, absolutely. Take it from somebody who’s been rejected plenty, it’s not the end of the world. And if you’re not rejected, things can turn out amazing… isolating yourself eliminates the possibility of happiness, you might as well spend time with the people you want to and be honest with them about what you want. You just have to be willing to roll with a no, because if they’re somebody you want to spend time with then you still will, right? You’ll get past it. Or you won’t and you’ll just harbor those feelings until you learn to let things go… uh. But ideally you’ll still be around them. You won’t be alone, you won’t be missing them or wondering what if, right? Yeah. Self-isolation is worse.
If someone you admired asked you to do something you didn’t agree with, would you do it?
…how strongly do I not agree with this hypothetical thing I’ve been asked to do? I don’t think your question’s as clear-cut as all that. If I really don’t agree, I’d try to talk them out of it rather than doing it and maybe one of us will come around. Communication’s important, I’ve learned that. You’ve got to be true to what you believe but also manage to communicate the why of it, you know? Because maybe one of you is working with information that the other doesn’t have, or… they just haven’t thought about it the same way. I guess my answer is maybe, but it depends on a lot of things.
What kind of impression do you think you give to others?
These days? A little sketchy but fun, I think. It used to just be the fun part — I hope, anyway. Not everyone’s gonna like you for that but I tried to be chill, roll with the punches. Less serious, you know? There are plenty of those types around, I’m the guy who cracks a joke even at their own expense to keep things light. There’s enough tension in the world.
Is it better to have loved and lost, or never to have loved at all?
[ York is quiet for a long stretch. He has to debate this one, because… the loss hurts. More than anything, and as much as he’s told himself to let things go, he hasn’t managed it. He’s still holding on to his memories and dreams of what could have been, instead of facing the reality fully. He knows what happened. He knows what can’t happen now. But it hurts so much. Still, he remembers her smile, closes his eyes and can almost smell her hair. If he ever does manage to let go, he tells himself he won’t forget. ]
Loved and lost.
[ There’s no further elaboration. ]
How could someone you dislike earn their way into your good graces?
Why do I dislike them? Because it’s all about behavior. You can sound like a dick but still have my back, you know? It’s if somebody’s trying, to be useful or helpful or whatever, if they’re legit fighting with me or we just aren’t compatible to be friends. Somebody who does the right thing when they’re faced with a choice… that’s someone who’s going to earn their way in, no matter what our other differences. I might not want to go for a drink with you, but I’ll respect you. For something, at least.
How well do you think you perform under pressure?
Excellently. Don’t laugh, I’m right about this one. Sometimes a little pressure even helps… and before you bring up locks, if I can’t do a thing I wouldn’t be able to without it, anyway. Fact is I’m pretty kickass at ignoring fear or nerves to get shit done. If it’s what has to happen, it’ll happen, I’ll make it happen. Pressure doesn’t affect my abilities…. No, seriously, stop laughing.
What would you change about the world, if you were able?
I’d change people. And by that I mean all species, just… people. We’re the ones who cause all the problems. If the world was just a little kinder, people trying to do good instead of serving themselves and not giving a fuck about everyone else, we’d be so much better off. Just get rid of that willingness to hurt people for our own gain, and like seventy-five percent of our problems would be solved, right? People can still be assholes, as long as they’re not hurting anybody. Almost my entire life was spent in a war, you know that? How much shit is that? How many people died for nothing, for—
[ He cuts himself off, because that got too heavy — gotta lighten it up before ending the interview. ]
Yeah. Also, every system needs a proper farming colony. There are too many places where everything’s tank grown or shipped in and that’s just sad. For those of us who’ve had real meat before, there’s no comparing it. Hey, is there a chance of a steak around here?