Annotated 39-16
I don’t remember what my logic was for giving Kaye an address that actually existed (albeit listed as vacant). I think maybe I just wanted to add a tiny bit more reality to Sepia World with that. Once you learn about the “555” telephone trick, you can never unsee it again.
We got a couple complaints about (sigh) “getting political” with JJ’s allusion to cop-on-black violence in 2015. I was more concerned about those who might feel we were trivializing a real-world issue or, worse, attacking BLM by putting its talking points in the mouth of a professional murderer. Overall, I’m glad we left that bit in, though. It backs up the final verdict on JJ, that he loves to act and sound enlightened to mask the brutality in his soul. In a few more pages, he’ll use the social issues he decries to his own advantage, without qualm.
At Zahin’s request, though, I’ve coaxed forth the spirit of JJ to say a few words about his strategy here…supplementing what he says about his strategy to Shanna in the comic. Aside from the show of enlightenment, he’s actually being pretty transparent!
There comes a point where the time for simple talk is over. Most people are motivated, primarily, to pursue their own safety. Once they understand their options, they usually pursue a nonviolent resolution. But then there are the mavericks, whose motivations are more individual. Sometimes it’s better to eliminate them quickly, but if that’s not on the table, you need more tailor-made solutions. Find what motivates them and press on it, firmly. This was a two-pronged attack: one prong was aimed right at Ms. Cochran and what motivates her.
What’s that? Kidnapping? Oh, Lord, that’s a logistical nightmare. I mean, it’s maybe feasible if you’ve got a hideout and multiple agents, but I’m a mobile, solo operator. You can only knock someone out so many times, and they tend to need food, water, and air. Keeping them healthy is hard enough, but they also will constantly be seeking escape, looking for a chance to kill you, or just annoying you to no end. Didn’t really get to know this Kaye person, but she could easily have been the spirited type.
The goal is not to get all these folks in some battle of wits with me, saying “Oh, we’ll play along for now, but we’ll bring you down and save our friend eventually.” The goal is to crush them so they don’t do that. The goal is to let them know what Mr. Watson grasped without much prompting. Resistance gets you dead. Associating with this woman gets you dead. They could fantasize that the risk to them was minimal until they saw their dead friend’s dead face, but now they know different. And most people are motivated, primarily, to pursue their own safety. That’s the other prong, aimed at all the rest of them. Odds are, they’ll stay quiet and hope that means they’ll stay safe.
Of course, there’s a very small chance I might now be dealing with a whole team of mavericks…but even running into one of those is unusual. A group of five? I mean, what are the odds?
The link to Flo’s old website is dead, does she have a new one?
The odds of 5 mavericks went up when you killed the main skeptic of the group confirming the danger they are in because of their association with the 5 missing people. The danger did not start with Ms. Cochran but with their characters involvement within the game.
Just what they needed: A dead friend to fight for, and the sole skeptic voice silenced, in a way that proves the point that sometimes there really is someone out to get you, and it IS a conspiracy.
Is being undeterred by threat to one’s own safety “more individual” or “less individual”.
Serious question :p
Some persons are undeterred but there is no general reason/rule WHY they are undeterred, so it’s more individual: each person has there more or less unique reasons why they don’t comply.
But, in general, aren’t these reasons likely to be less *individualistic*? :p
Thanks a lot! For both the annotation and the coaxing.
Seconded!
…though I’m not entirely convinced. Maybe JJ is just pretending (to us or himself, too) that he’s actually quite a nice guy. But he knows that there’s nothing to guarantee that some of the happenings from today won’t perspire to other peoples’ ears a few years from now. And he won’t always be able to spend the time to make sure that Mrs. Chochran and her new friends honour the “agreement”. And he knows the only way to make sure they do, and so do Xan and Shannah, and that means his little “show” will not be perceived as a warning but as a statement of intent.
Actually … like, maybe something kept him from going directly after Shannah and Xan. Maybe he only really caught Kaye’s address and only pretended in his little speech that he decided to “visit” Kaye instead of the others, but really, if he had gotten to Shannah and Xan just a few minutes before they entered Chrissie’s house, the issue would have been definitely solved with a bodycount of just 2 to 3, rather than at least the 6 he’s committed to now, assuming Shannah doesn’t spread the news any further than she has already.
As a Black person, I’m glad you left in the reference. Shows us just how terrible of a person JJ really is (as if his job description wasn’t enough). People really thought (and think) that way, and to hide it does the issue more disservice than bringing it to light.
One thing, though: I get that what JJ is saying about US law enforcement is sadly true, but isn’t he concerned about the video going viral, especially if that “this isn’t the first snuff video that has my face on it” bit turns out to be true? How many Youtubers and social media gurus would it take to find those other videos and turn JJ into an ubiqitous meme? Can you stay “off the grid” for long if your face is a popular gif?
If he were as unconcerned as he claims to be, what would motivate him to warn them not to share a video?
I think he’s bluffing quit a bit. He found the video chat going on and decided to use the opportunity to make an impression, and of course he can’t stop in the middle of that just because he realizes he may accidentally be taking a larger risk than he meant to. However, his goal is to to scare them into staying quiet, and if that works, the video won’t be an issue. Of course, that can’t work if at least one of the five people on the other side is still able to think straight.
Unfortunately for JJ, while he’s not in the Faansverse, people who play Arkerra sometimes get a little bit Faans-adjacent. They’ve been heroes in other contexts (and, without realizing it, heroes who are REAL to certain other people), and that means they can all be “mavericks” when pushed.
With web maps, isn’t it easier to pick a real street and find a number that doesn’t exist? Either in between existing ones (they often skip four or six at a time) or outside the street’s span.
Sure, probably!