hadriel | [Video]

[For once Matt has the video on. It's no use to him, but he wants his face to be seen this time, because this is serious. And he's furious.]

I'm going to guess most of us read the post that the ones who call themselves the Null posted. If you didn't, it's because you're on their list. The list of targets they've asked us to kill in exchange for the location of the god killer. I'm not the first to post about it either, but the louder the signal, the less chance it can be missed or ignored.

And it needs to be known.

This is the list of names as of this moment.

[attachment: names.txt]
Jo Harvelle
Ellie
Duck
Fingon
George Lass
Alphys
Chris Hartley
Hanako Nurumi
Seel har Parasiel
Curufin
Will Solace
Gilbert Beilschmidt
Maglor
Cecily Trevelyan
Kate Galloway
Maedhros
Calanthe
Atem
Trafalgar Law

I'm no fan of the "gods" who brought us here. I'm no fan of these null either. But I refuse to stand by while people are used as pawns and killed. This is their game, not ours.

[His voice is low. No sunglasses this time. And even if his eyes can't see, they can absolutely reflect indignation and fury. And they are. Clearly.]

If you know anyone on this list, reach out to them. Warn them.

If you are on this list and cannot protect yourself, reach out to someone you trust to help. If you cannot protect yourself, I can help. I will help. Lives are not games or currency.

[EDITS: FURTHER ATTACHMENTS]
[Update1.txt]
Lup Taako
Aren Brosca
Rydia
Matt Murdock

[Update2.txt]
Temperance Brennan
Terrence Ephemera
Lee Rosen
Margaery Tyrell
Julie Grigio
Kyna
Nathan Drake

[Update3.txt]
Taako Taaco
Eddie Kaspbrak

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Okay, yeah, cool. We're on the same page, then. I uh, think that between me and Wolfie we can probably cover another two people, so if you talk to anyone who needs some help and is interested you can totally point them my way. I've been here a long time, so um, most people know me.

[And hopefully know he's trustworthy, too.]

Yeah, will do. People just need to be honest if they need help. Because we don't know what the Null are capable of, fully. And people here have... skills and talents that we may not know about fully either.

[Matt has mostly downplayed his own abilities.]

Thanks, by the way.

Yeah, lots of people here are um... Surprising, I guess is a good word. Not what they seem.

[In good and bad ways.]

No problem; we're um, all in this together, right? Except for like, the murdering types, but hopefully that's kind of a tiny minority.

[Chris has some moments of great optimism.]

They are.

[Matt is one of those people, so it's not like he can talk.]

My thoughts exactly. We need to have each other's backs as much as possible, because neither the gods or these null are on our side, however much they might pretend to be. [Matt is bad at optimism though. Still,] I think most of us are decent enough people to not be willing to murder, no matter how much we want to get home.

I uh, wouldn't necessarily say the gods aren't on our side, but um, I can see why, you know. People would consider what they do not 'being on our side'. Kind of needs a loose interpretation.

[But that said--]

Yeah, I'd um, like to think so, but people can do all sorts of thing when they're really pushed into it. They also might like, see it as a self-defense instead of murder; they're doing what they have to to protect themselves from the gods, or being stuck here, or going back home to where they're dead, or whatever else.

The whole kidnapping us to this place and holding us against our will -- on taking children from their homes and putting them in this danger -- and using us for their benefit, kind of doesn't scream on-our-side. But now isn't the time to debate the merits of the "gods" of this place. They at least aren't currently trying to get a bunch of us killed.

[Maybe. Matt does have a very paranoid theory he is mostly keeping quiet.]

They can. And being kept in a cage away from home makes people desperate. Or think they're justified. That part... that part I know too well. I really hope the majority would be opposed to anything like this. But all it takes is one person willing to take this deal, and there may well be more than one. More than I want to think of.

Yeah, we have plenty of time to um, argue about that later. When we're not like, in imminent danger of robot-motivated murder.

[And he can't argue with that last part.]

Good news is it's probably like, a minority at this point, with how um... Obviously untrustworthy the Null are. And I mean, considering we're in a place where there's not a whole lot you can do to someone who decides to be a huge asshole and kill someone else, you'd think there would've been a lot more murders over the whole time we've all been here.

[So he wants to think there aren't that many people they need to worry about, even if even just one is still a problem.]

You would think. But few people kill for the sake of killing. Even serial killers are relatively rare. Most killers have a fairly clear motive -- so it may just be that a motivation hasn't been present before. This could be a tipping point for that.

I want to believe that you're right, that it'd be a minority at worst. But even one is too many, considering the chaos it could spark.

[Because they don't have any system to deal with someone who steps out of line that way. No courts. No prisons. What then? Mob justice? Clamoring for more blood?]

Well, yeah, but I mean... There have been a lot of events and whatever that've kind of like, inspired some grudges and whatever, so people have definitely gone after each other for some weird reasons.

[But he's definitely not complaining there haven't been more murders, just a little surprised.]

The "gods" manipulating emotions changes the landscape a bit. Can you really hold someone responsible in those cases, or are there mitigating circumstances?

[Matt stop defense lawyering for like five minutes here.]

Thought this offer is an incentive too, for the right person -- or the wrong person I suppose.

I mean, I'd say no? But not everyone's on the same page about that.

[There was a whole thing recently about it that Chris stayed out of, but the issues come up more than once before that too.]

Yeah. People are pretty desperate to go home, and I can't blame them for that, but uh... Still not great murder-justification.