dear_mun | (no subject)

For a time, it seemed that way. However, the moderators have yet to report the results of my last investigation. Furthermore, the nature of our situation makes the native court system insufficient to the task of handling most crimes that involve us, yet nearly no one has been willing -- let alone qualified -- to work towards a system of our own, despite a demonstrated need for such a thing.

"The nature of your situation"? Let me guess: it's something definitely out of touch with science and forensics, isn't it?

In a sense, one could argue that there are two truths on Prospero.

[She bites back any semi-philosophical comments she can make on that. No need to tease the man too much, after all.] That sounds interesting. Do you mind if I ask about that? This is a room where anything's available, so sitting down for a drink might be nice, too.

In brief, those of us kidnapped to Prospero are possessed of awareness and abilities that the natives lack to the best of our knowledge. To begin with, there is a so-called "Dark Hour" that occupies the stroke of midnight, during which the land distorts and creatures known as Shadows spread across the island; during this time, the natives are sealed in coffins, unaware of the changes and immune to the apparent passage of time.

... Well, that certainly sounds like something the local authorities won't be able to manage. You said the natives lack the knowledge, huh? So to them, it might as well not be happening at all.

Indeed. Furthermore, while it is possible to summon our Personas during the day with some effort, they're invisible to the natives; far more distressingly, even indirect evidence of anything being amiss is quickly forgotten by the populace!

Forgotten? What do you mean? [Could it be that the supernatural forces wipe memories?]

Precisely what it sounds like. For example, for a period spanning the end of March and beginning of April, a serial killer went on a rampage, slaughtering natives and kidnappees alike. Given that the native could not have fairly handled kidnappee murder cases, I only indicted the suspect for his murders of the natives. At the time, several natives involved wished to know why I didn't press charges involving the other victims; however, by the time the trial was over and our own victims had revived, the natives had entirely forgotten that I was prosecuting him for only half of his crimes!

[She's silent for a few seconds, watching him, and she shakes her head before speaking again.]

I'm very sorry for your troubles, Mr. Edgeworth. Hopefully, you'll find a way to prosecute the crimes effectively, but that's definitely a curious situation. People come back to life there?

It's yet another trait peculiar to kidnappees -- perhaps the least-understood aspect of our situation. Frankly, between that, the fact that our Personas allow most of us the means to escape prison during the Dark Hour should we so choose, and the fact that we can't very well enforce the natives' treatment of particular individuals, punishment is one of the hurdles we would need to overcome.

There is another sense in which kidnappees come back to life on Prospero, however -- no small percentage of our numbers claim to have died prior to their arrival. One in particular furthermore claims to have spent a long period of time in her world's afterlife.

That tends to be a trend in some places. I used to be one of those people, you know? I've been a member of the dead for quite some time now, but it didn't stop anyone from sending me to Nevada two winters ago.

Besides, one of the boys who shares this space in my-- typist, is that what you called them? -- typist's mind is apparently immortal. Lots of strange things can happen here.

I personally have befriended a man who claims to have been an demigod whose original lifetime took place in ancient times during my stay on Prospero. I will certainly grant that at times he forgets the limitations of the human body, and that his knowledge of the modern world is of a distinctly patchwork nature.

[She laughs at that -- politely of course!] Well, that makes him seem like a very interesting person at least, doesn't it? It certainly doesn't seem dull to me, and it's always an opportunity to gain new perspective.

Indeed, we've found both common ground and contrast of some note.

Why don't you try to make the most of your situation? Of course, I won't say it sounds very pleasant there, but talking to people like that might help you find a way to handle these crimes better. You and I aren't trained for crimes like those, after all.

I've been trying. Unfortunately, he in particular is of only limited aid in this sort of endeavor, and those who are intelligent enough to attempt to contribute are both extraordinarily rare and failing to come up with actual suggestions. It's as though I'm expected to conceive of and implement the entire system myself. (I still can't help but imagine this to be a punishment for my prior arrogance...)

... Well, in-- what year is it for you? [She shares headspace with a certain pianist, so she knows that isn't impossible.]

I hail from 2019, but the year on Prospero is 2012. If you're going to bring up juries, however, I've already ruled out that possibility due to our population being too small to allow for an unbiased selection -- and that was before two-thirds of us vanished due to drops.

Oh, I'm not bringing up the juries. That's the solution Phoenix came up with for his situation. What I'm saying is that, considering your skills and knowledge, it isn't entirely impossible to implement a system, is it not?

Besides, persuasion is among the skills you must hone as a lawyer. If they aren't willing to help... well, you've faced plenty of unhelpful witnesses, right?

Unfortunately, I've reached the limits of my own imagination concerning how to make it possible under these circumstances. I need help, Ms. Fey, whether from others who can see what I cannot, the moderators contriving things to allow the holes in my efforts to be filled, or a combination.

As for those who are failing to help sufficiently, they aren't unsupportive. I can only suppose that they lack confidence in their ability to do any better than myself. One in particular did take the useful step of challenging my ideas, but that was months ago; I haven't received any significant help since, aside from so-called "help" in the form of attempting to force me to become more of a public figure than I would prefer. I even made a post concerning the subject during an event in which people were supposed to be more social, but neither new faces nor new ideas were forthcoming.

Unless you're suggesting that I either visit every remaining kidnappee and interrogate them until they confess their every thought concerning law or have my typist attempt to recruit others who play law enforcement officials despite the mystery plot having been in the process of being rewritten for the past month with no indication that it's necessarily going to be ready soon, I fail to see what I could do that I haven't already done.

Well, if you've been unsuccessful in producing a result using your usual methods so far, that doesn't mean you're at dead end yet, are you? Different worlds call for different norms, after all. Think outside the box, right?

I've thought "outside the box" sufficiently to come up with a method of punishment remotely suitable to our worst offenders without violating playability, though the exact implementation is still up in the air until the moderators hammer down the plot sufficiently for the more technically inclined among us to know what precisely they need to do to make it work. The difficulty lies in the middle ground, and thus where to draw the lines between various forms of punishment.

As for how to involve others, the above alternatives both carry risks. The first risks alienating fellow kidnappees and their typists alike. As for the second, to invite others to a game that currently leaves much to be desired and may not survive the month would be folly! Any recruitment efforts, particularly of the sorts of people whose aid I could most use, must wait until the game's mystery is capable of weathering thorough investigation. Otherwise, they simply won't last and the game's reputation will sink further.

[She listens to him, then shakes her head slowly.] Calm yourself down, Mr. Edgeworth. I understand your frustration, but you've got to be patient, don't you think? Supernatural forces are difficult for guys like us, and if your moderators are working on it, there will be an answer eventually.

Right?

I've been patient for months, Ms. Fey. The only thing that's grown clear in that time is that the moderaters were ill-prepared to run their own game.

ooc.

theboobsdontlie - 2012-06-17 23:48 (UTC) - Expand