text; un: reiner

[hometown]

I've got a question for anyone willing to answer.

Would you say you come from a generally peaceful world or a violent one?

Comments

[abnormalizes]

He is. He could afford to push himself a little less, though.

[hometown]

He took it easier when he was younger. I doubt he'll return to that.

[abnormalizes]

It's hard to go back to how you were before, unfortunately. Even when you move to a nicer place where the way you learned to survive isn't necessary anymore. (Stop me if I'm projecting.)

[hometown]

No, you're right. When you learn how to survive in a certain way, it's difficult to unlearn it.

[abnormalizes]

Yeah. The best thing I can do is keep an eye out for him. I'm glad he has so many other friends here to help with that.

[these two are friends, right??]

[hometown]

Yeah, me too.

[ Even if Jean doesn't count Reiner among his friends anymore (for good reason), Reiner still considers Jean one of his. ]

[abnormalizes]

So, any interesting results on the survey so far?

[hometown]

Honestly? A lot of stuff I can barely conceptualize. Things like gods and immortality are way beyond the scope of my experience.

For the most part, it looks like violence is concentrated in war. The scale of those wars varies dramatically between worlds.

[abnormalizes]

I can sympathize with that. I do work with unkillable monsters, but gods are a little out of my wheelhouse.

...Well, I do know some monsters who think they're gods, but that's different.

[hometown]

You work with intelligent monsters?

[ It's the "intelligent" part that snags Reiner's attention. There are only a few "monsters" like that in his world—himself among them. ]

[abnormalizes]

I do. We call them 'Abnormalities' in my line of work - they're formed from the human subconscious.

[hometown]

[ Formed from the human subconscious…? ]

That sounds intense.

[abnormalizes]

It is. The mortality rate at my job's pretty high.

[hometown]

Let me guess: it pays well, so people keep taking the job?

[abnormalizes]

Bingo. Plus the other options that'd pay similarly aren't much safer.

[hometown]

That makes sense. And it's easy to think, 'The mortality rate is high, but it won't happen to ME.'

[abnormalizes]

They're not exactly up front about the death toll when you sign up, and after you're on board your managers kill you if you try to quit. So you're kind of hosed even if you do expect to die.

[hometown]

I know I keep saying it, but that sounds more and more like war. The price of desertion being death.

[abnormalizes]

They have the pretty speeches about contributing to a greater cause in common, too.

[hometown]

Yeah. Those can be pretty compelling.

[abnormalizes]

'Face the Fear, Build the Future' is L Corp's slogan. I'd like to meet whoever came up with it and give them a good smack.

[hometown]

If I meet someone spouting that, do you want me to send them your way or slug them outright?

[abnormalizes]

You should punch them. And then tell me so I can punch them later.

[hometown]

You got it.

[abnormalizes]

Thanks. It'd be good if more people from my home came here since Ellipsa is objectively better, but I don't have to like them.