route_1065 | Juneau Where She's Going?

Entry tags:

Juneau Where She's Going?

Who: Carmen Sandiego (

doitrockapella) and a bunch of other people!
Where: Various locations in Johto, over the course of the week!
When: The week of January 26th
Summary: This week, her itinerary's loaded with more than just moving violations.
Rating: PG as a default; deviations from that will be marked!
Log:

⛵ WHERE IN THE WORLD IS CARMEN SANDIEGO? ⛽
MONDAY January 27th	Goldenrod City — ALL DAY

TUESDAY January 28th	Goldenrod City — ALL DAY

WEDNESDAY January 29th	Goldenrod City — MORNING through 5:00 PM En Route to Ecruteak City — 5:00 PM ONWARD

THURSDAY January 30th	En Route to Ecruteak City — PRIOR to 11:00 AM Ecruteak City — 11:00 AM ONWARD

FRIDAY January 31st	Ecruteak City — ALL DAY

SATURDAY February 1st	Ecruteak City — ALL DAY

People interested in interacting with Carmen or having her pay your character a visit at some point during this week, feel free to throw in a starter with a date and location for the thread! You can either write the starter yourself and I'll have her tag into it, or you can drop a top-level just with date and time and I'll come up with a reason for their paths to cross, either way. o/

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Honestly, even if it does only last for a moment, it's enough to abruptly set Carmen at ease, after the initial surprise at his sudden change of demeanor. Once, she would've spotted that spark of fight left in him and immediately fixated on trying to catch hold of it, to press in harder and keep dragging more and more of it out of him until he had the momentum to keep after it on his own. She would've done that once, because that would've been the way to fix him.

And that's why it's a little surprising in itself that she doesn't feel the urge to jump to it now, because it's somehow sort of enough to just...be relieved that it really is still there, and to have faith enough in Ishimaru to trust that yes, he's still got it in him to find his own way out of this.

It's funny how, in its way, trusting a wounded bird to find his wings almost takes more courage than taking the leap yourself.]

I'm glad you feel that way. That's how it should be, I think.

[He just kind of stares at that, as though unsure of what to do with it; he's thinking, though, as opposed to freezing up.]

...I still spend a lot of time by myself, but there's a difference between being alone for a while and feeling it.

I...like the friends I have here. They're good people.

I've noticed. The ones I've met have been a pleasure to talk to.

[We're going to conveniently sweep Celes under the rug here, um.]

It can be difficult to let someone be by themselves when you care deeply about them. It's hard to feel like you're doing enough just by being there, even when sometimes that's really the best thing you can do. I imagine that's why some of your friends left the house — for the sake of giving you the space to sort things out, without taking the risk of being overbearing with trying to help.

[She ducks her head, laughing a little under her breath.]

Speaking as someone who's often overbearing, when trying to help.

...My brother is like that, I think. He...tries to help but he usually ends up...

[...]

...not...doing that very well.

[Well, it's more tactful than it could have been, anyway.]

I think that's what Kuwata-kun was trying to do, too. It was...weird.

And Naegi-kun is quite good at it, isn't he. He strikes me as that type of person.

[Protagonists. c: ]

As for Leon, I'm fairly sure that's what he originally wanted from me, when he called. His attempts at help weren't working, so he was hoping I'd tell him what the "right" ones were.

Naegi-kun is very good with people...I've learned a lot from him since we've been here, actually.

[Protagonists.]

Kuwata-kun...he's helped me with things in the past - always things I understood right away. I think he's...used to things being easy? He thinks like geniuses do. A lot of the people from Hope's Peak are like that.

[She tips her head a little, regarding him.]

And how do geniuses think?

...They're not used to working hard for anything. They have to do things they don't like, but that's...not the same - the work is still easy for them, it's just...unpleasant or tedious. They're used to things being handed to them, because things are naturally easy for them...and they don't understand that it's not like that for everyone.

It's...difficult for them to understand what things are like for most people. They're insensitive a lot as a result, even if they don't mean to be. Genius is a blessing, of course...but it also means that people who rely only on their own genius to get by often lack a lot of fundamental skills and understanding. They don't really know what effort and hard work are like, and why they're important...and so when they come across something that they don't understand and don't know how to obtain through their genius alone, they're usually at a loss.

Kuwata-kun often has trouble when he finds things he's not good at, because he doesn't know how to become good at it - the idea of working for it doesn't really seem to...occur to him, I guess. Or maybe he doesn't know how. It's like that.

Geniuses are also often natural problem-solvers. Because things come easily to them, they're not used to coming up against problems that they can't solve. When you have practice at struggling with problems, you learn to appreciate the value of patience — and sometimes, of leaving a problem alone awhile to see if it'll settle itself on its own. But if you're the sort of person for whom there's never been a problem without a solution...then naturally, you start to think that every problem must have a solution, if you only attack it hard enough.

Geniuses struggle at working for things, but I think they also have a hard time accepting that there are some things just inherently outside of their ability to accomplish, as well.

...I know. I've never been one myself...I've always been average when it comes to my abilities, if not below that in some areas. But my grandfather was.

It didn't end very well.

[ :|a ]

...Does it bother you? Not being a genius?

I'm curious because of what we were talking about earlier — not needing things because it was easier to be without them if you didn't need them in the first place.

No, not at all...it would be easier for me if I was, but...

[Hm.]

...Hard work is important; knowing how to handle things for yourself is important. And I've always believed that perfectly ordinary people are able to accomplish just as much. That the world won't be changed by genius alone - the world can be changed by ordinary people, and extraordinary effort.

You say that as though the two are mutually exclusive. Does that mean that geniuses by definition can't be hard workers, or is that just your experience?

[ ... :|a ]

...I don't think it's that they can't...most people just won't if they don't have to, and up to a point, they don't have to.

Mmm. I think I agree with that, honestly. But I think for me it has more to do with a person's ability to reach their full potential. That's something that really only comes through hard work, regardless of the starting baseline of aptitude — and so really, setting the bar of expectation low enough that a genius can reach it without trying is doing a disservice to the genius, as much as it is insulting the hardworking ordinary person's efforts.

...I know. That's why things need to change as a whole...the way things are now encourages those low expectations.

I want people to be the best they can. That isn't...possible now, I don't think.

You mean with the way things are now.

[...]

For what it's worth, I think you do a fine job of leading by example when it comes to striving for excellence.

Ah...

[And that...seems to hit him strangely; give him a moment.]

...I wasn't able to change anything, in the end. Everything I did back home was for a goal that never came to pass...and nothing I do can change that.

But I...

[He trails off, his gaze darting away; it takes him a moment to recover himself, but he manages eventually.]

...I don't think that it was for nothing, either.

Not reaching the goal you'd had in your sights isn't the same thing as achieving nothing. That's true.

[She's just going to let him have his space; right now it's just as well, since she's trying to keep her own focus on saying legitimately helpful things, too.

Given her track record, this is a noble and admirable undertaking.]

You've mattered, Ishimaru. Even if it wasn't the difference you'd set your sights on, I hope you can at least take comfort in that: the knowledge that you've made a difference in the first place.

[He mulls that over for a moment.]

...I never hurt anyone. Back in the school, I mean. Even after...Ishida happened, I never hurt anyone.

I'm doing what I can to look after everyone here - because it's what I want to do, not because I think I have to. I want to...make sure that everyone's okay, even if I couldn't do that back home. But in some ways it's...good. To know that I didn't hurt anyone back home.

[...]

Sometimes I feel like that might be good enough. To know that I did everything I could, and even after I couldn't do that anymore at least I didn't hurt them.

We don't have to talk about Ishida if you'd rather not. I know it must be painful for you.

[...]

I don't think you're the type to hurt anyone. No matter how upset about him you might've been.

[...wait, what]

I don't know if I'd say I was upset about him...?

[...wait, what]

You wouldn't call this upset? I'd hate to know what you would give that description to, then.

What does this have to do with Ishida...? Ishida didn't...

[...happen? appear? randomly become a thing?]

...He isn't around yet.

[...son she distinctly remembers a conversation in which you were high as balls and the aforementioned Ishida got on the phone to assure her that yes, you did in fact just try to Forget Beam her over the network —]

Wait. Who's Ishida?

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