[ Safety stuff. It sounds like something that should be obvious, though Riz sorta explains it, but it's vague enough despite the insinuation being there: how to act and be around people. In general. A glimpse into a world that's foreign to Gorgug, or so he assumes: it doesn't sound like the kind of lessons his adoptive parents imposed of him. Of being kind and giving people chances, to know that the bad tempers and remarks from others was never about yourself, but about the person they came from. It was good to be considerate, to never let a bad time get you down, and to always get back up on your feet if you do fall. Because remember: your parents will always have your back.
It makes him curious, admittedly. What did it mean? What was it that Riz had to grow up learning that Gorgug never thought about? ]
Fig is cool, [ Gorgug agrees wholeheartedly, as if that's important to address first. Because it is. ] Do you act how you wanna act around us? Fabian acts the way he wants all the time, so you should too.
[ There's no malice or joking behind the example--it's blunt in an honest way, harmless. If Fabian is one to run off his mouth about anything, why can't Riz act the way he wants or do the things he wants, gun or no gun? Not that Gorgug knows what these things are--there's Rizisms, but are Rizisms the same as what Riz has to be thoughtful about?
...Gorgug doesn't know enough about goblin peculiarities (or any race peculiarities, at that). ]
[ Gorgug's remark about Fabian makes Riz burst out in a sharp bark of laughter. Gorgug may not have meant it in a mean way, but... he's not immune. ]
Learn from Fabian, huh? He is starting to act how he wants to more often what with the, uh... [ He flaps a hand. ] Dancing anti-toxic-masculinity stuff.
[ Less pirate posturing, more -- other kinds of posturing. It's still pretty funny, though. He looks at Gorgug, eyes bright with amusement, still a little touched by Gorgug's intent, patient regard. He's such a sweet guy. Someone like Riz probably doesn't deserve all this patience, Gorgug earnestly trying to be a better friend as though he's not already a great one. ]
I'm pretty sure I act how I wanna act. If this was me holding back... [ He gestures up at the mission board, side by side with his clueboard. It would be dire, is what he's saying. The little ways he's holding back are ways that he himself isn't quite aware of, so accustomed to it that it's just second nature to him. ] I don't have to hold back much with you guys. Nobody else does.
[ It's easy not to feel as self-conscious when they've got Kristen in the back of the van enthusiastically talking about 69ing with her girlfriend. ]
You do too, right? When you're not feeling shy, I guess.
[ Gorgug is a really shy guy. It's at odds with the Barbarian strength and the rock star career, but that's Gorgug for you. ]
[ He didn't know what he said was that funny (or funny at all), but Gorgug does end up smiling before long at Riz's laughing, the cheery tone it leaves in his voice.
But he does think--and he does hope--that Riz is being all who he wants to be, even if Gorgug knows that's something that can take time to figure out. He's been working himself to answer it, knowing better than ever what the answer is, but just needing to implement it; work out the kinks, what works and what doesn't.
And have being an artificer be a part of that. He really hasn't missed bloodrush, though.
Apparently though, Riz's assessment of him, small as it is, a single word--that makes Gorgug balk, as he blinks at him, his features becoming uncomfortable. ]
...I'm not shy. [ He even sounds sulky saying it, and maybe...awkward, in the way a shy person would sound in protest. ] You think I'm still shy? I guess I've been nervous around all these people from different worlds and if one of my fake dads was gonna try and bully me...
[ Is being nervous the same thing as being shy? ...He has been trying to stand up for himself more. Or better! Gorgug drops his head to look at his hands, palms faced upward on his lap, as he considers the possibility of his shyness more than Riz possibly knew was going to happen. ]
But it's weird, right? No one else is from Spyre, and you don't know if someone's gonna be weird with you. I don't wanna get the wrong idea about people, but then sometimes I say something stupid. [ He looks back at Riz. ] Do I still suck at people?
[ Oh, man. Did he just get away with this because he never got kidnapped to a different planet with people from different universes? This sucks. This sucks!!! ]
Wha -- where the hell did you get sucking at people from being a little shy? [ Riz protests, leg shooting out to kick at the leg of Gorgug's chair. Not hard enough to knock it over (he couldn't even if he tried), but a little teasing jolt. Riz hadn't even known that being shy was something Gorgug was even self-conscious about.
Which makes sense, come to think of it, considering that being self-conscious was the primary reason for being shy, but Riz had never thought of it as a bad thing, not when surrounded by big, brash personalities like Fig and Fabian's. (Hypocrite that he is, Riz does not consider himself in their ranks, as though his own personality is less big for being less pleasant than theirs.) ]
You don't suck at people. Everyone likes you, Gorgug, [ Riz says firmly, because it's more or less true. After the first stint of bullying, everyone pretty much gets along with him. He's a nice guy. He's hard not to get along with. Though Riz does pause to appraise his judgment, and adds: ] Except for Aguefort, for some reason? And Fabian's stupid grandpa. Don't tell Fabian I called his grandpa stupid. He'll get mad at me.
[ Like Gorgug might be now? Riz supposes he hurt his feelings a little. That sucks. ]
But honestly, I wouldn't know what you're like around people here. We don't, like... hang out with any of them? As a group? [ He scratches his cheek, considering the fact that he spends most of his time with Fabian and Gorgug... exclusively with Fabian and Gorgug. The rest of the time, he meets people one-on-one, usually by happenstance, and the one time there had been a party, he'd hid in the corner the whole time. ] Or at least I don't.
[ Riz doesn't think he ever sucked at people? That's confusing, because even Gorgug will admit he used to suck pretty bad at getting people: it made it easier just to not talk to them at all, or to agree with his parents to take a tin flower into school and try to make a friend through the power of bribery.
But it doesn't make Riz's assessment wrong--things have gotten better over time, or at least -- people like him better than they used to. No one bothers him anymore in a bad way, and he likes his classmates, especially his artificer ones. But being outside of Spyre and in Etraya, especially Moorecroft, has made him feel his nerves returning about how he should act. Life was more comfortable back at home or when it was just him and the other Bad Kids living out of his van: he wasn't being tested or watched, judged for the future of his friends and family.
Though, there's one thing he really won't disagree with: ] His grandpa's stupid. I'm glad I don't have to see the guy.
[ We're agreeing with that right off the back. No remorse. This is a secret between the green Bad Boys. Sorry, Fabian.
But he does relax, or tries to seem more relaxed. Not overthink it, his thing and people. It's been nicer when he's not had to worry, or let himself worry about what other people think, and it's not been so much that that's been his core problem... it's that he's been trying to be chattier. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't care, but being kidnapped into a really dumb test isn't a normal situation to begin with.
He lets of a breath, and kicks his feet out by the heels, watching out for Riz or any of his limbs in the motion. ]
I was told to talk to and get to know more people... open up, get to know our fellow captives, you know. It doesn't matter back home or in Spyre, 'cause I have you guys and I'm doing stuff that makes me happy, so, I'm fine, normally. But when I was on that spaceship without you guys, and when we've been in Etraya... it's hard approaching people or keeping up conversation. You know what you want out of someone.
[ Because if he's thinking about Riz and how he speaks to people--Fig and Kristen speak to people so easily, and Fabian's an extroverted example of his own; but when it comes to Riz, even he's got a goal: he goes for it.
And Gorgug, it's like he has a vague idea of what he wants, or what he should go, and then he's trying to make the pieces connect to be a good ally. To other people.
He can't help but wonder if he's doing an okay or bad job at it. And being called shy doesn't really point towards doing well. ]
I don't think knowing what I want from a person makes me a good, uh, conversationalist? Or friend, [ Riz says thoughtfully. ] It just makes me a decent interrogator, which is a different thing.
[ It's said without any hint of self-recrimination, guilt, or remorse. It's not a bad thing. He's always prioritized being a good detective over being a good person to talk to, and he knows it. There are certain sacrifices he's always felt that you need to make in order to operate at your best, and while Riz personally regards himself to be a friendly, sociable kind of guy (and he honestly likes people as a general rule and would like to be liekd in return), he knows that it will never be one of his priorities. Even in this place, he can count on one hand the amount of interactions he's had that haven't led directly into discussions of this place's mysteries or interrogating people about their home worlds.
He only has one mode, and that's on, baby. ]
You actually set out to like, make friends? [ Which isn't not what Riz sets out to do, admittedly but he gets distracted. ] That's different. Have you made any friends, since you've been here?
[ That's the real question here! The proof is in the pudding. ]
[ Does it have to be about friendship, Gorgug wonders? It's what he gets caught on, when Riz says friend, and-- is he trying to be friends, or friendly? It's not the first time the subject of being friends or making friends has come up for Gorgug, and he doesn't really have set limits on what constitutes as a friendship and what is just a friendly acquaintanceship, but... ]
I don't know that I... there's people that I like. But I think it was, I was just supposed to get to know people and create a kind of... feeling of community? Help us know we're all in this together.
[ ...but now that he's said that out loud... ]
...I don't know that I was meant to do all that. Just. Help it feel that way.
[ Just so there's no expectations or ideas of what Gorgug thinks he can do. ]
[ That's not what he was expecting from Gorgug, actually. It makes sense. Fostering a sense of community can only benefit them; if they feel a sense of loyalty and obligation to each other, it means that once they're in dangerous situations, they're a lot less likely to get stabbed in the back. And if this whole thing about saving their worlds is true, then perhaps they'll be more invested in each other's worlds too.
It's not a bad tactic. Not a tactic that Riz himself can get on board with - more through skill than through ethics - but not a bad tactic nonetheless. He taps at his chin. ]
I don't think you need to do all that, though. I mean, you should only do it if you want to, not 'cause this place somehow thinks that's what we oughtta do. But life's a lot better if you like the other people in it anyway.
[ He shrugs. ]
And if you like them, and they like you back, then you guys are all basically already friends, right?
[ It's almost like Gorgug didn't come up with the idea himself, though even listening to it being called strategic--Gorgug shrugs his shoulders in a manner to say 'I guess so'.
He may not be suited to bolstering community through charisma, either. If only they were Fabian. ]
Yeah. [ But Riz's following logic is flawless. ] I mean, I wasn't trying to do it because the people [ The Man(TM) ] want us to, although... I guess I was doing it because someone suggested it. It made sense.
[ He pauses though, thinking. ]
Do you think people would keep secrets about what they find out to themselves or their own groups if it doesn't look like we're willing to work together? This... the set-up, why we're here-- they might make us work together sometimes, but then they make us fight each other, too. [ Or so it was reported from that other bubble city. ]
I just wondered... that it wouldn't be bad to step out of my comfort zone, if it's for a good cause. I'm not really good at investigating.
[ But maybe being somewhat....friendly with others can't hurt? ]
I think... it depends on how much people here decide to trust in the word of the people who brought us here. If they truly believe that it's their world versus ours, then they'd have reason to keep to themselves. But I haven't met many people who totally buy into that.
[ There's no proof. There's no trustworthy source. How could anyone possibly put their trust into an entity that was responsible for kidnapping them and separating them from their home in the first place? Not to mention these horrible tests they've all been put through with no sign that it's for any real purpose. ]
It's more up to people's nature than anything else, [ he decides. ] Some people are just naturally sneaky.
[ Riz himself is arguably one of those people, but not when it comes to sharing clues, not when it comes to something that affects them all. It would feel completely contrary to his nature to keep those sorts of things close to his chest for long. They're underneath almost constant surveillance anyhow; all keeping secrets would serve to do is to push people further away.
The thing is... he can't talk to that many people about it in the first place. He's not what he'd call a naturally likeable person. He's more of what people would call, say... an acquired taste. Oh, people are nice enough to him here, but he doubts any of them would feel willing to put their trust in him, or even think of him when it comes to disseminating information. ]
You're a better investigator than you think, [ he says absently, one nail worrying at his lip as he considers the matter. ] But of course it's not a bad thing to step out of your comfort zone. If you can find people who you trust, people you trust in return... that can never be a bad thing, right?
[ Besides, he thinks privately. People can disappear from this place at any moment. If god forbid he and Fabian disappear leaving Gorgug behind, he wouldn't want him to feel entirely alone.
[ He's better at investigating than he thinks? ...Gorgug thinks that's just Riz being nice, but he's also not going to push against it. It's not that he feels bad about being a poor investigator, but just that: he knows it's one of his weaknesses. For the same reason he's attempting to get more into socialising with the others around them in a manner outside his wheelhouse. Maybe he could become better in time like (he hopes) getting to know people will help him, but that might be better to ask Riz about than to grope around in the dark on. ...or should he take tips from Fabian again? He was pretty sure about himself when it came to talking to people on the spaceships about going ons.
(Did he ever figure out anything interesting from that process? ...not really. But he tried!)
Regardless, Gorgug nods to Riz's ending assessment. ]
We have a bigger chance of figuring something out if we work with the people around us. I don't know a lot about AIs or robots. Yet.
[ ...it's the finicky side of artificing, but you know, there might be a proud half-orc inside Gorgug that tacks on that yet for the highs that he wants to go. He wants to make cool, sentient shit! Better than the temporary principal that went haywire on them and that he can absolutely not get into with Riz right now. ]
But there's... if they're bringing in people from all kinds of different worlds, there's gotta be something we can figure out from what we know. There's got to be more to everyone than most the people with us being human.
[ They've got to have more noticeable features, right?? Look at Kristen! ]
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2024-10-23 08:33 pm (UTC)It makes him curious, admittedly. What did it mean? What was it that Riz had to grow up learning that Gorgug never thought about? ]
Fig is cool, [ Gorgug agrees wholeheartedly, as if that's important to address first. Because it is. ] Do you act how you wanna act around us? Fabian acts the way he wants all the time, so you should too.
[ There's no malice or joking behind the example--it's blunt in an honest way, harmless. If Fabian is one to run off his mouth about anything, why can't Riz act the way he wants or do the things he wants, gun or no gun? Not that Gorgug knows what these things are--there's Rizisms, but are Rizisms the same as what Riz has to be thoughtful about?
...Gorgug doesn't know enough about goblin peculiarities (or any race peculiarities, at that). ]
no subject
Date: 2024-10-25 10:37 pm (UTC)Learn from Fabian, huh? He is starting to act how he wants to more often what with the, uh... [ He flaps a hand. ] Dancing anti-toxic-masculinity stuff.
[ Less pirate posturing, more -- other kinds of posturing. It's still pretty funny, though. He looks at Gorgug, eyes bright with amusement, still a little touched by Gorgug's intent, patient regard. He's such a sweet guy. Someone like Riz probably doesn't deserve all this patience, Gorgug earnestly trying to be a better friend as though he's not already a great one. ]
I'm pretty sure I act how I wanna act. If this was me holding back... [ He gestures up at the mission board, side by side with his clueboard. It would be dire, is what he's saying. The little ways he's holding back are ways that he himself isn't quite aware of, so accustomed to it that it's just second nature to him. ] I don't have to hold back much with you guys. Nobody else does.
[ It's easy not to feel as self-conscious when they've got Kristen in the back of the van enthusiastically talking about 69ing with her girlfriend. ]
You do too, right? When you're not feeling shy, I guess.
[ Gorgug is a really shy guy. It's at odds with the Barbarian strength and the rock star career, but that's Gorgug for you. ]
no subject
Date: 2024-10-27 10:14 am (UTC)But he does think--and he does hope--that Riz is being all who he wants to be, even if Gorgug knows that's something that can take time to figure out. He's been working himself to answer it, knowing better than ever what the answer is, but just needing to implement it; work out the kinks, what works and what doesn't.
And have being an artificer be a part of that. He really hasn't missed bloodrush, though.
Apparently though, Riz's assessment of him, small as it is, a single word--that makes Gorgug balk, as he blinks at him, his features becoming uncomfortable. ]
...I'm not shy. [ He even sounds sulky saying it, and maybe...awkward, in the way a shy person would sound in protest. ] You think I'm still shy? I guess I've been nervous around all these people from different worlds and if one of my fake dads was gonna try and bully me...
[ Is being nervous the same thing as being shy? ...He has been trying to stand up for himself more. Or better! Gorgug drops his head to look at his hands, palms faced upward on his lap, as he considers the possibility of his shyness more than Riz possibly knew was going to happen. ]
But it's weird, right? No one else is from Spyre, and you don't know if someone's gonna be weird with you. I don't wanna get the wrong idea about people, but then sometimes I say something stupid. [ He looks back at Riz. ] Do I still suck at people?
[ Oh, man. Did he just get away with this because he never got kidnapped to a different planet with people from different universes? This sucks. This sucks!!! ]
no subject
Date: 2024-11-02 10:14 am (UTC)Which makes sense, come to think of it, considering that being self-conscious was the primary reason for being shy, but Riz had never thought of it as a bad thing, not when surrounded by big, brash personalities like Fig and Fabian's. (Hypocrite that he is, Riz does not consider himself in their ranks, as though his own personality is less big for being less pleasant than theirs.) ]
You don't suck at people. Everyone likes you, Gorgug, [ Riz says firmly, because it's more or less true. After the first stint of bullying, everyone pretty much gets along with him. He's a nice guy. He's hard not to get along with. Though Riz does pause to appraise his judgment, and adds: ] Except for Aguefort, for some reason? And Fabian's stupid grandpa. Don't tell Fabian I called his grandpa stupid. He'll get mad at me.
[ Like Gorgug might be now? Riz supposes he hurt his feelings a little. That sucks. ]
But honestly, I wouldn't know what you're like around people here. We don't, like... hang out with any of them? As a group? [ He scratches his cheek, considering the fact that he spends most of his time with Fabian and Gorgug... exclusively with Fabian and Gorgug. The rest of the time, he meets people one-on-one, usually by happenstance, and the one time there had been a party, he'd hid in the corner the whole time. ] Or at least I don't.
no subject
Date: 2024-11-03 05:27 pm (UTC)But it doesn't make Riz's assessment wrong--things have gotten better over time, or at least -- people like him better than they used to. No one bothers him anymore in a bad way, and he likes his classmates, especially his artificer ones. But being outside of Spyre and in Etraya, especially Moorecroft, has made him feel his nerves returning about how he should act. Life was more comfortable back at home or when it was just him and the other Bad Kids living out of his van: he wasn't being tested or watched, judged for the future of his friends and family.
Though, there's one thing he really won't disagree with: ] His grandpa's stupid. I'm glad I don't have to see the guy.
[ We're agreeing with that right off the back. No remorse. This is a secret between the green Bad Boys. Sorry, Fabian.
But he does relax, or tries to seem more relaxed. Not overthink it, his thing and people. It's been nicer when he's not had to worry, or let himself worry about what other people think, and it's not been so much that that's been his core problem... it's that he's been trying to be chattier. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't care, but being kidnapped into a really dumb test isn't a normal situation to begin with.
He lets of a breath, and kicks his feet out by the heels, watching out for Riz or any of his limbs in the motion. ]
I was told to talk to and get to know more people... open up, get to know our fellow captives, you know. It doesn't matter back home or in Spyre, 'cause I have you guys and I'm doing stuff that makes me happy, so, I'm fine, normally. But when I was on that spaceship without you guys, and when we've been in Etraya... it's hard approaching people or keeping up conversation. You know what you want out of someone.
[ Because if he's thinking about Riz and how he speaks to people--Fig and Kristen speak to people so easily, and Fabian's an extroverted example of his own; but when it comes to Riz, even he's got a goal: he goes for it.
And Gorgug, it's like he has a vague idea of what he wants, or what he should go, and then he's trying to make the pieces connect to be a good ally. To other people.
He can't help but wonder if he's doing an okay or bad job at it. And being called shy doesn't really point towards doing well. ]
no subject
Date: 2024-11-04 08:36 am (UTC)[ It's said without any hint of self-recrimination, guilt, or remorse. It's not a bad thing. He's always prioritized being a good detective over being a good person to talk to, and he knows it. There are certain sacrifices he's always felt that you need to make in order to operate at your best, and while Riz personally regards himself to be a friendly, sociable kind of guy (and he honestly likes people as a general rule and would like to be liekd in return), he knows that it will never be one of his priorities. Even in this place, he can count on one hand the amount of interactions he's had that haven't led directly into discussions of this place's mysteries or interrogating people about their home worlds.
He only has one mode, and that's on, baby. ]
You actually set out to like, make friends? [ Which isn't not what Riz sets out to do, admittedly but he gets distracted. ] That's different. Have you made any friends, since you've been here?
[ That's the real question here! The proof is in the pudding. ]
no subject
Date: 2024-11-11 01:01 pm (UTC)I don't know that I... there's people that I like. But I think it was, I was just supposed to get to know people and create a kind of... feeling of community? Help us know we're all in this together.
[ ...but now that he's said that out loud... ]
...I don't know that I was meant to do all that. Just. Help it feel that way.
[ Just so there's no expectations or ideas of what Gorgug thinks he can do. ]
no subject
Date: 2024-11-27 09:52 am (UTC)[ That's not what he was expecting from Gorgug, actually. It makes sense. Fostering a sense of community can only benefit them; if they feel a sense of loyalty and obligation to each other, it means that once they're in dangerous situations, they're a lot less likely to get stabbed in the back. And if this whole thing about saving their worlds is true, then perhaps they'll be more invested in each other's worlds too.
It's not a bad tactic. Not a tactic that Riz himself can get on board with - more through skill than through ethics - but not a bad tactic nonetheless. He taps at his chin. ]
I don't think you need to do all that, though. I mean, you should only do it if you want to, not 'cause this place somehow thinks that's what we oughtta do. But life's a lot better if you like the other people in it anyway.
[ He shrugs. ]
And if you like them, and they like you back, then you guys are all basically already friends, right?
[ That's how it works, right? Right???? ]
no subject
Date: 2024-11-27 10:55 am (UTC)He may not be suited to bolstering community through charisma, either. If only they were Fabian. ]
Yeah. [ But Riz's following logic is flawless. ] I mean, I wasn't trying to do it because the people [ The Man(TM) ] want us to, although... I guess I was doing it because someone suggested it. It made sense.
[ He pauses though, thinking. ]
Do you think people would keep secrets about what they find out to themselves or their own groups if it doesn't look like we're willing to work together? This... the set-up, why we're here-- they might make us work together sometimes, but then they make us fight each other, too. [ Or so it was reported from that other bubble city. ]
I just wondered... that it wouldn't be bad to step out of my comfort zone, if it's for a good cause. I'm not really good at investigating.
[ But maybe being somewhat....friendly with others can't hurt? ]
no subject
Date: 2024-12-05 02:52 am (UTC)[ There's no proof. There's no trustworthy source. How could anyone possibly put their trust into an entity that was responsible for kidnapping them and separating them from their home in the first place? Not to mention these horrible tests they've all been put through with no sign that it's for any real purpose. ]
It's more up to people's nature than anything else, [ he decides. ] Some people are just naturally sneaky.
[ Riz himself is arguably one of those people, but not when it comes to sharing clues, not when it comes to something that affects them all. It would feel completely contrary to his nature to keep those sorts of things close to his chest for long. They're underneath almost constant surveillance anyhow; all keeping secrets would serve to do is to push people further away.
The thing is... he can't talk to that many people about it in the first place. He's not what he'd call a naturally likeable person. He's more of what people would call, say... an acquired taste. Oh, people are nice enough to him here, but he doubts any of them would feel willing to put their trust in him, or even think of him when it comes to disseminating information. ]
You're a better investigator than you think, [ he says absently, one nail worrying at his lip as he considers the matter. ] But of course it's not a bad thing to step out of your comfort zone. If you can find people who you trust, people you trust in return... that can never be a bad thing, right?
[ Besides, he thinks privately. People can disappear from this place at any moment. If god forbid he and Fabian disappear leaving Gorgug behind, he wouldn't want him to feel entirely alone.
Riz knows he would. ]
no subject
Date: 2024-12-19 04:18 pm (UTC)(Did he ever figure out anything interesting from that process? ...not really. But he tried!)
Regardless, Gorgug nods to Riz's ending assessment. ]
We have a bigger chance of figuring something out if we work with the people around us. I don't know a lot about AIs or robots. Yet.
[ ...it's the finicky side of artificing, but you know, there might be a proud half-orc inside Gorgug that tacks on that yet for the highs that he wants to go. He wants to make cool, sentient shit! Better than the temporary principal that went haywire on them and that he can absolutely not get into with Riz right now. ]
But there's... if they're bringing in people from all kinds of different worlds, there's gotta be something we can figure out from what we know. There's got to be more to everyone than most the people with us being human.
[ They've got to have more noticeable features, right?? Look at Kristen! ]