light_mischief | [come sail away] ic inbox (season 1)

"It makes sense. Stede Bonnet is usually quick to put up fliers offering counseling as it is, but..." He's always seemingly on the edge of a nervous breakdown. "He could probably use other like-minded people providing support. But the sentiment remains the same: we're better along together than apart."

"I appreciate Stede greatly. The pool party is one of my fondest memories on the ship. But I want to make sure there's a focus on more practical concerns, and backups, safety nets, instead of all relying on one man. I also worry that he may have an existing reputation." As a daft fop, running a pirate-themed social club.

"Do you know anyone else who might be worth talking to about this sort of endeavor? People who might not be connected to Stede or myself, yet, who'd offer other perspectives on things."

Yeah, no need to elaborate on Stede's reputation, he knows that one. "Hmm. Let's see... generally speaking, you'd want to look for those with medical backgrounds. Maybe set one particularly trusted individual in charge of finding them?" Cough, cough, Watson.

"What do you envision providing between major events? I know of a few people who might be good... listeners?" Is that a thing? Do people need that? Now that he's thinking about it, what do people need beyond a drink, a quiet room, and a non-judgmental ear? "Or maybe organizing... activities? Though really, that should be Friday's job."

"The presence of people willing to listen--especially if they can be trained to provide some rudimentary trauma care or other mental health assistance--is a start. We also need to be able to ensure there's no stigma attached to using such services. A lot of people get worked up over the idea that talking to someone or accepting help makes them weak. Shit, that's what stopped me from getting help back home, the last time a megalomaniac decided I was a good tool to accomplish his personal goals without regard for the well-being of anyone around him."

Two nickels, man.

"Activities, yes. Also training. The more people know about basic first aid or self-defense or...well, I don't know if there's anything useful on the magical end for everyone to have an awareness of, but that might also help. Even if it's just 'how to recognize a fuckery', pardon my language."

Skulduggery skillfully avoids pointing out that therapy is pointless, mostly because he's had that conversation before, and it's about as pointless as talking through your problems.

"Critical reasoning, self-defense, first aid. The magic system in place here is..." A living nightmare, "...Chaotic, in simplest terms. Being able to detect when things aren't as they seem would be wise."

You know what else they probably could use? Mediators. But Skulduggery isn't going to suggest that because, like therapy, middlemen are pointless. Just fight until the problem stops being a problem!

"Is there a way for someone like me to detect that without the abilities you or Palamedes or that Undine girl have? To my knowledge, magic doesn't exist in my world at all, so I have no inborn talent for it."

Which is a big assumption, isn't it?

"I don't know if that's necessarily true..." But his only example to prove otherwise is Clarke performing blood magic in Tauva, and he... is trying to keep his distance on that one, thanks. "Magic has a way of permeating everything it touches, and we've all been touched by it here."

Not that he has any easy way to prove that, one way or another... "It's something to think about, but in the meantime -- there are some tricks that can be recognized without magic of your own. Being able to recognize an illusion, for example, or protecting against sensitive magic, like telepathy. Not to mention catching new passengers up to speed with the ship's oddities..."

Someone has to tell people not to engage with ghosts that sometimes show up in mirrors...

"We do have the advantage of knowing when muster drills are. Having someone around to help answer questions after the faceless dame does her speech, that's definitely something that can happen."

The rest, well.

"So, how do you recognize an illusion, Mr. Pleasant?"

"You throw a rock at it."

Haha! Gottem.

"Or, you learn to feel for them. Even without magic, anyone can feel the difference in air density and flow. A crowd of people takes up space in a way illusions do not. Sometimes, they'll have tells. Reflections, for example, might act like the person they reflect, but it's a hollow replica. Sometimes they'll have watches on the wrong wrist or reversed logos on their shirts..."

There aren't reflections around here exactly, but the idea is there. "Generally speaking, an illusion will sit wrong with you. You might not realize why at first, but with practice, it becomes easier to notice."

[come sail away] ic inbox (season 1)

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