[LOC] The Civisect Rehabilitation and Counseling Center

[Sypon]

Friends... Ganyma thought long and hard. He looked around to his companions as if attempting to cheat off of their papers. He cared about his friends - he didn't want them to be hurt.

"These are people who care about you..."

Rasali. Luxara. Vremea. Forera. Didero. Even little Stryke. The quiet one -- Milieu? There was a redblood too... Did he ever get her name?

"Share your experiences...."

He winced. It would be preferable that they did not. At least Rasali wasn't involved in the fighting.

"Your ideals."

He choked. Ganyma made eye contact with her out of pure fear. They were all rebels -- save... Save for Sinter. Right? What were his ideals? What were theirs? Surely he was friends with them for a reason. Surely they too saw the errors of their ways... There was no way they could believe in the destruction of others. Save for Kursha, maybe. That was what the rebels were about. He was their symbol -- fire and ashes. A phoenix rising, true, but out of whose ashes?

Ganyma shakily began to write. He looked over, hesitant, to see what the other patients were doing.

Ganyma chooses A.  

[quite uneventful]

Friends.

Forera could think of numerous people who fit that description. But at the same time... Friends were people who were there for you, right? Who wouldn't turn their backs on you...? With a hesitant purse of her lips, Forera glanced at Ganyma across from her, having chosen to write and work this one alone, away from her two companions... though Vulpin hadn't turned up yet.

Ideals. Experiences... She wanted to write it all down, but she could barely write well as it was. She hated it. Her ideals... In the past, it was just to be strong. But now, after hearing about... Ganyma, she learned she had to grow from that. As a new rebel, she had to become someone she would look up to, not someone with a penchant for exercise. She had to grow up. Loose her ignorance. The death and destruction of the war between the rebels and the royalists had only blown air to the fire surging in her heart.

She looked up to those ideals. She may have been betrayed by her friend... but it was alright. He was in the right. She was in the wrong. She knew that now. Throwing an uncharacteristically soft smile to Ganyma, Forera circled C.

 

[Hivestuck]

Session #4
The next RP prompt will be posted Nov 13th.
Surveys can be answered at any point in your RPing before the next prompt is posted.

"Now then..." Dr. Resmem was choosing to stand tonight. Her shoes made a hollow clopping sound as she paced around the room. "I'm pleased we have such a strong foundation of support among this group. Today is the day we make some real progress."

Dr. Resmem stopped before the group and placed a finger to her chin thoughtfully.

"I know it's been some time since the... incidences that brought you to us. And a few days still since you've been visiting with us. I suppose this calls for a recap of what happened in Old Hemisect these past few weeks."

Dr. Resmem looked around the room to make sure this was okay with everyone and then continued.

"As I'm sure you've been hearing for at least the last perigee, Old Hemisect City has been schedule for reconstruction. Finally after many sweeps, the city was to be allowed to recover from that terrible night when it was first reduced to rubble... However!" Dr. Resmem held up on finger. "Not everyone was relieved by this news! By this point in time, a handful of squatters and outlaws had taken over the empty hives of former Old Hemisect residents. Rather than receive the charity of the Alternian Empire and newly built hives, they resorted to sabotage and violence to interfere with the construction efforts."

Dr. Resmem was steepling her fingers against her chest as she stood before the group with a sad expression on her face.

"As I'm sure you know, between the locals' interference and the former-captain Puchen's... excessive force in the face of such misguided souls, many buildings were destroyed in the confrontation.

"Such a tragedy. But! Not something that cannot be recovered from--as evidenced by the city's swift progress in its reconstruction, and your presence here at this facility."

Dr. Resmem was grinning now, with her standard use of thorough eye-contact.

"Yes! Old Hemisect is a place of progress. With our help, we are certain to leave such difficult times in the past where they belong. Where we are going, we don't need such senseless conflict and struggle! We have each other, as children of Alternia."

Dr. Resmem stood with her arms wide in a welcoming gesture.

"Alright. The topic of discussion as I leave you for tonight. Reflect on your feelings. How have your feelings changed since gaining perspective on these events? I'll give you all time to talk."

The doctor gave a small nod to the group and left the room.

Patient Survey of the OHC Rehab Center

TONIGHT I LEARNED:

a) The solution to unnecessary injury and property damage is complete submission to the greater good that is the Alternian Empire.
b) Those that oppose Alternian progression are cowardly and cannot be trusted.
c) The conflict was caused by inadequate communication between parties, stemming from a perceived lack of empathy on the part of the government.
d) Chaos and death is a small price to smear dirt upon the name of Alternia and its people.

 

[Sypon]

Ganyma nodded at each sentence that Dr. Resmem spoke. He was resolute. He’d already circled A, and placed his hands in his lap. Just earlier in the sessions he had reported the names of his friends. Except for Kursha. He was not Ganyma’s friend. Not seeing him present was unsurprising, but the likelihood was that he was beyond help. Vremea, though. She should understand. She was so caring – why wasn’t she here? Did he misread her?

The bite of unknowing tied up Ganyma’s bile sack. He resolved to make a pilgrimage. He would make sure his friends were okay, at the very least. On both sides of the issue. His surveillance was not a consideration in his mind, though whether he realized that was uncertain. With Ganyma’s uncertainty came confidence.

When the doctor stood up to leave, he immediately turned to Forera. “Hey…”

His expression was soft. “I’m glad I’m here with you. Knowin’ you ‘n me are okay… Means a lot.” He gave her a soft punch on the shoulder. “I made some mistakes, but… It’ll be okay now.”

quite uneventful

 

[quite uneventful]

What a ******** liar.

Forera didn't understand why or how she felt anger, but as soon as the doctor said the rebels were squatters and outlaws, the only thing on her mind was how wrong she was. All this talk... this bullshit. Forera really wanted to rage and get mad at her, to yell at her and tell her she was wrong, but really, she was in the presence of many, many trolls with many varying points of view. She needed to take it calmly and react calmly. She needed to bottle it up.

She was, however, happy that Old Hemisect was being rebuilt. It was Forera's old home, after all-- this meant she could try to reconstruct her home in the new city, whatever it would be named. But the way it was being rebuilt was sad and unfortunate. All the trolls that were there previously... they were just kicked out. Forera's old friends from Old Hemisect were forced to wander the land, desperate for somewhere to stay while they waited for sunset. She would offer, but... Her hive was small enough as it was, after the New Hemisect city earthquake...

Disaster after disaster. And earthquake, some crazy monster... A war...

Speaking of the war... Forera eyed Dr. Resmem with slight impatience. Her feelings? About the war... With a careful and planned glance toward Ganyma, the tealblood spent a little time thinking about her answer-- then cautiously, half out of anger, circled C. Ganyma, insulted in this way, to his face? She wasn't about to compliment the empire like that!

As soon as Ganyma turned toward him, she let her anger fade away into a bright smile. It only grew with the soft punch, and Forera couldn't help but return it with her own, but harder, showing she had gotten much stronger from all the construction work she did during the war. His words... Mistake? She was a little confused...

" 'fcourse we're ok, y'whimp!" She said teasingly, patting his arm. "But... what'dya mean by mistakes?" The smile on her face was unwavering, but her eyes showed her slight confusion. She needed to ask him to hook her up with the rebel... urr... whatever she needed. Oh! Wait, she needed to tell him! "Um... Gany... I wanted ta tell ya something excitin'!" She said, eyes bright. She then grabbed his collar and pulled him close, as if whispering her deepest, darkest secret in his ear.

"I understand why you chose the... the rebels..." She whispered, then looked around, slightly nervous, voice uncharacteristically serious. "I've been seeing it my whole life and I never did anything against it because I didn't get it." She murmured, pulling him closer, not wanting him to miss a single sound. "I... I wanna join your movement, Gany." She said softly, voice holding no laughter, no mischievous tone... "I wanna work against it. We... we can make a change. We can..." She looked at her group, eyes gleaming. "We can change everyone... And make everything neutral. So they can all be like us, y'get it?" She said, pointing at her neutral teal blue, grinning happily.

They were the middlemen. They could help... Together. As a team!

Syponx

 

[Sypon]

quite uneventful

Ganyma opened his mouth to respond to Forera, and found himself interrupted by her announcement. She pulled in, close to his ear.

“What…?” His enthusiasm ebbed with hers, the smile creeping onto his face accentuated by her proximity. With a single word, his expression flattened. Forera wasn’t joking, and even if she was, Ganyma would have hardly been able to tell. He immediately felt a pressure behind his eyes, early signs of terror welling inside. Not Forera too.

He was weak. She pulled him in closer to her embrace. The orderlies in the room shifted casually. A slight perk of an ear towards the two could be detected by the most astute patients, but certainly not the tealblood sitting in stunned silence in the back of the room. Forera’s whispers cut through Ganyma loud and clear. But, why?

“I… Why…”

She wanted to join the movement he had just abandoned – no – escaped from. He was protecting himself and his friends. The innocents wronged by the rebel confrontation were in his hands, and she was walking back into the blazing fire that he had helped start. Not only that…

“We can change everyone… And make everything neutral.”
There is no need for conflict--only the destruction of the establishment, after which all shall live in equality, indistinguishable from one another.

It wasn’t his movement. It wasn’t what he wanted. Whatever he thought before was wrong – his inability as leader and rehabilitation had proven that much. Never in his life did he want to be a nameless drone, a part of the crowd. Breaking from the confines of conformity was why he’d joined the rebellion in the first place. The opportunity to show that he was more than his symbol – more than teal, more than a brute carrying out orders. Orders that harmed the innocent, and for what? With the destruction of life that the rebellion wrought, he couldn’t piece together any sense out of Forera’s speech.

He returned her grin with a look of horror. Ganyma pulled away from her and stammered. “You’re wrong…!” His tone was cracked and louder than he anticipated. He wanted to tell her that he cared for her. That she was in danger, and that they both could be. That he left the rebellion for fear of his own life. That there was the distinct possibility that he had ended the lives of three young trolls, and that he had faced his young friends on the battlefield. He wanted to tell her, but he couldn’t. He didn’t know how.

“I have to go.” Ganyma got up out of his chair quickly, accidentally toppling it behind him. A stunned orderly rushed behind him to collect his form as he disappeared through the doors.  

[zeflamigo]

With hesitance, Vulpin circled option C on his survey. It was a natural answer, it felt the most true and unbiased. So much of this conflict could have been avoided with simple communication. But the two sides would never open up and discuss matters civilly. That just wasn't the Alternian way, was it? His pen floated over the paper, stopped in thought. He motioned to erase the mark, before realizing he had circled the survey in pen.

Mentally cursing his own actions, he put down his survey and stuffed his hands under his arms. He looked at Forera and Ganyma, sitting a few seats away. Vulpin tried to pick up on pieces of their conversation, but had a hard time hearing what Forera had to say. He could watch her face though. Vulpin felt a little bittersweet twist in his bile sack, watching Forera's hopeful face. What did she have to be hopeful for? Everything around them seemed to be falling apart. Yet, Vulpin wished he could have been a bit more like her.

Ganyma stood and left the room in a hurry, and Vulpin lurched forward in his chair, wanting to involve himself in the tealbloods' drama, but he kept a firm grip on his seat. It would be easier to approach the two individually, and not under such close royalist watch. Vulpin would already have the royalist's attention with his not-so-perfect survey answers. He didn't need to draw anymore attention to himself.

Vulpin chose Option C.  

[Hivestuck]

Session #5
The event will be closed to responses, excluding those using the event for growth, on Nov 18th.


The fifth night was different from all the nights previous to it.

Everyone was lead into the main hall as they had been in the past, but Dr. Resmem had yet to show up. Every so often a troll would be called out of the room by an orderly.

Upon being called yourself, you are brought into a small room containing only a table bolted to the floor, and two chairs, one of which is occupied by a tealblooded man in a stiff black uniform. He has short hair and horns that only serve to emphasis the size of his broad shoulders. He sits calmly across from you with his hands folded on top of the table.

"Now then. I hope your time under Dr. Resmem's care has been treating you well," he says in a placid voice. "We have reached a point in your treatment where we would like to take a more specific measurement of your progress."

The man looks down his nose at you and then consciously smooths his facial features into a peaceful expression.

"How are you feeling about the events surrounding the reconstruction of Old Hemisect as you understand them?"



Regardless of what you say, the man does not respond to your words. He merely waits until you are finished and removes his hands from the surface of the table. "Thank you for the information. We will calculate your headway in the program and inform you of the consensus." An orderly is waved in and you are escorted back to the main hall.  

[Sypon]

Ganyma sat in front of the uniformed troll quiet and hunched. Since the ordeal with Forera the previous night, his rehabilitation had been rockier than anticipated. He'd pushed it to the back of his mind and was reassured by the orderlies. Trauma does that, apparently -- the outbursts. Fortunately for Forera, when he was questioned about his actions, he had a hard time explaining himself just as he had when she asked him about the rebels. He spent his time clearing his mind, and nodded along with the tealblood as was necessary.

"I joined the rebellion under pretenses of glory and equality. I see now that what I thought was .. Equality... Was con...Conformity. And a willingness to destroy for selfish reasons. Instead of what's right. You know?" He mumbled. Ganyma looked down at his hands. "I don't know if anybody I know is okay. I could have hurt them. I think I did hurt them. An' I don't want to do that again, so here I am. Resmem said I made progress."

He felt a chill go through his fingers and brought his hands up to rub at his shoulders. Ganyma realized something.

"Is there... Is there a way to get to the people that volunteered? Like... A list? You know..." He was met with a stern stare. No response. Ganyma tightened his grip on himself and sighed. It was worth a shot. Maybe he'd ask again when he wasn't being... Questioned.

"Anyway. I feel fine now. Gotta keep goin' on. Feelin' sad, I guess. But the rehab helped. I liked the exercise part."

As Ganyma's answers became more simple, the feeling of the room became meandering. Finally, the tealblood considered their interview finished, and Ganyma returned to the main hall. He would be released from custody soon, but absolutely didn't want to return to his hive. Perhaps he could pick up a voucher from the new Old Hemisect City, to get a new hive, but it didn't seem right. Ganyma was contemplative as he sat alone. Soon after, he was taken away.  

[quite uneventful]

Ganyma's expression from yesterday still haunted her.

As she waited for her turn to be called, the thump in her chest slowly grew faster, watching the trolls around her leave and return one by one.

What happened to him? Why did he look so... So pained? It hurt. Why did it hurt? Why did he hurt? Forera felt herself hurting from the inside out, from the outside in. Nothing felt good. The rest of her day in the program was spent running to the bathroom, and crying her eyes out until she finally felt better. Toward the middle of her sobbing, she suddenly felt like she was the problem here. Not Ganyma. Ganyma was right. He was... right? She bit her lip a little, then began to apply more pressure on it as her thoughts grew darker-- Why was he automatically right? Because he was older? Because he was her friend? If anything, with his reaction... with his reaction, she should've considered him to be... to be... She didn't even realize it-- her tooth was still deep in her lip, teal sliding down her chin, and with a small whimper, the tealblood bit hard into her lip, the sharp teeth piercing her skin making her forget about her problems temporarily.

And for a second, everything was crystal clear.

By the time she left the bathroom, she managed to slide a fake smile onto her face, more convincing than the last. She remembered her old, bright smile, and tried to fix her smile... but no matter how hard she tried, it always looked like she was hiding something, a mischievous fake grin replacing her normally honest smile. She remembered watching the teal drop from her chin to the sink, and licked her lip, tasting the dull, dry taste of teal. She pressed her teeth back on it, then realized... her tooth had pierced right through her lip. Like... like a lip ring. A... lip ring, huh...

Forera was pulled out of her flashback after hearing her name called. She sprung from her seat, licking her scabbing lip slightly before walking over to the interrogation room.

The room felt empty and lonely, and it was slightly fearsome to sit down in front of the tealblood... but Forera held strong. His question was so simple, but just one wrong response... and Forera was done for. She had to... she had to lie. With a frown sliding onto her face, Forera's voice shook slightly from the anger that pulsed in her. "Hm... it's kinda hard'ta say, y'know! I'm real glad the queen is rebuildin' m'old home. But urrm, really, those rebels..." Forera murmured, her anger sliding into her voice for rebels, when it was really an intense anger toward the loyalists... "...Those rebels are nothin' but bad news. 'm glad we kicked em out." Her mysterious smile returned as she answered a few more questions, then stood up when she was escorted to the main hall, tooth starting to dig into her bottom lip again, thinking how Ganyma must've seen or done something to hate the rebels. It was strange... he was so animated about it in the past. Why did he change...?

Forera was going to ******** find out.

 

[Hivestuck]

The tense atmosphere caused by the arrival of the mysterious tealblood disappeared with the return of Dr. Resmem the next night. Oddly she made no mention of her absence, and instead chose to focus on praising the participants for making it through a week of therapy. The center had gathered quite a lot of useful information through the surveys, and had apparently used them to develop and hone their treatment for future participants.

"Thanks to your cooperation, we'll be able to assist and treat more... severe conditions!" Dr. Resmem had announced cheerily.

"Due to the high demand for our services, I'm afraid this is where we part. Do feel welcome to spread the knowledge you've gained as a part of this experience among your friends and associates. There's no reason to hoard the feelings of security we've fostered here."

Dr. Resmem motioned to the door with a smile and a wave of her arm. "There will be a gift to you for your help in this project, based on the information we've received from your survey entries. You can pick it up at checkout."

Sypon

Ganyma receives an official Rehabilitation and Counseling Center Certificate of Social Health, signed by Dr. Resmem. Clearly you are completely sane and therefore bear no ill-will against the empire.

Kimbley Kitty

Vulpin receives a Rehab Center informational pamphlet containing a strongly-worded coupon promoting future therapy sessions. His experience in the rehab center will give him an advantage in the next meta event. Vulpin also receives +1 EP.

quite uneventful

Forera receives a Rehab Center informational pamphlet containing a strongly-worded coupon promoting future therapy sessions. Her experience in the rehab center will give her an advantage in the next meta event. Forera also receives +1 EP.

 

[Hivestuck]

When the formerly Old Hemisect Rehabilitation and Counseling Center when it had first opened its doors, its presence had been met with no small amount of confusion and trepidation. However, the concept of a nonviolent method of absolving oneself of legally unsavory activity soon began to resonate with the community. Rebel activity, while not as severe as it had been in the past, was still a current issue. The Rehabilitation Center was offering a haven in which to safely discuss the rebellion in the open without fear of immediate culling. What’s more, they were presenting the people of Alternia a chance to renounce their treasonous thoughts and activities and rejoin society proper. Forgiveness and the empire had never gone hand-in-hand before, but curiosity had been piqued. This opportunity seemed too good to pass up…  

[DraconicFeline]

Psykgi Mentha

Civisect Rehab Center

Civisect Rehabilitation and Counselling Center

Name: Psykgi Mentha
Caste: Red

Reason for Participation:
I'd like to assist others with themselves by assisting myself with myself and assisting you with me and others!

I accept responsibility as a participant of the Civiesect Rehabilitation and Counseling Center’s Voluntary Cognitive Restructuring Program and that my potentially limited capacity for recovery is not a reflection on the Alternian Military or its associates.

Signature: Psykgi Mentha

Psykgi had read the literature and research and everything the center had had to offer. She'd been doing it as long as it had been open, but she had never visited...

Now she was, and it was such a rush! She was so in love with the place, it was pumpbiscuit-poundingly wonderful just to walk through its doors. She filled out all the forms, added in the other forms (and her admittedly thin resume in case they were after interns!!!) and, finally, was led into the building.

Excitement, discussion, and mental pathology awaited – Psykgi couldn't wait.  

[purplerosesbeauty]

Natash Boelli filled out her form alone in the waiting room, her lusus having left her, saying she would be back when she was finished. At first she was worried when Angel brought her here, worried her lusus was able to read her thoughts. But then she said it was just to keep her in line for the future and tramp out any "rebellious thoughts." At least it was just a rehab center, and not another lost limb. And some time away from Angel... almost made her happy.

Handing her paper back to the troll at the reception desk, she was led around the facility. Gnash could see that the place looked... nice. Even fun when she looked at the activities board. Maybe... maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Maybe it could help her, and make her lusus like her more, and be nicer... The orderly got her attention again, and led her to her first activity in the rehab center.

Natash took a seat in the circle of troll, eyeing the cupcakes. If she did a good job, it seemed she could get one. Something sweet... yum. The topic of the night was "how to make Alternia even greater through the use of its people", or something.

"Um... well... If we worked together we could do better. We all live on Alternia, right? And we all want to be safe... so we should be nicer to each other, and then... um." Natash thought about a good answer, looking at the pink cupcake she so desperately wanted. "When the highbloods ask lowbloods to do something, they'll be happy to do it, because we are their friends!" That's what she wanted, anyway. She didn't want lowbloods to shy away from her weird metal arms, from her ugly scary face... she wanted them to be her friends and comrades, so she could be a proper leader.

 

[purplerosesbeauty]

Natash looked at the journal they gave her for her stay. It was pretty enough, and they let her decorate it as she liked. She found some nice stickers and ate some, but some of them made it onto her journal. Tonight's activity was simply writing a journal entry about the rebellion.

Was there really a group of trolls who would rebel against the queen? What were their lifestyles like? Were they all lowbloods? She remembered what her lusus said, about the dangers of rebellious trolls. The queen was supposed to have killed them all recently... right?

I never met the rebellion myself, but my lusus tells me to be afraid of them. As a seadweller, they wouldn't welcome me. They might hurt me, or make fun of me. Angel says they would say anything to make me want to help them. She says I can't trust lowbloods. She says a lot of things that scare me. Maybe it's for the best that I have never met anyone in the rebellion. They would all be dead now, anyway, right? That would have been sad.

♥ Gnash Boelli