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overwatch: soldier 76

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[Ocelot is sitting in one of the rooms in the medbay. It's the one he commonly uses as his 'office', though he's not sure they officially have offices or anything. His job does require a quiet space, though, so he can justify taking over the spot when he's on duty.

As for the man himself, he's 40, with silver hair and a slight western drawl.]

Hey there. Name's Ocelot. Generally I'm camped out here and just wanted to let the new crew members know. Or maybe remind some others.

After the last planet we were on, some of you might be having some trouble with what you experienced there. I admit, the medbay has some turn-over when it comes to staff, but there are psychological services if you need it.

[Sometimes he still wonders about the captains putting him in this particular job.]

I have the title of ship's hypnotherapist, so if you're having some issues that are traumatic and conventional therapy isn't workin' for you, I can try and assist. I can't guarantee anything, but I'm pretty good at it.

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[This one's young. Blond ponytail, new to the crew.]

How does hypnotherapy work, exactly?

[Wouldn't be the first kid aboard.]

A hypnotic suggestion is placed and if it's accepted, something changes. It's a way of trying something that doesn't involve drugs to fix a problem, though that can help with the relaxation process.

[Armin presses his lips together.] Can it make you forget something entirely?

It can.

[It can make a person forget who they are or make them think they're someone else, too, but Ocelot isn't going to pull those tricks here. The captains probably wouldn't like it.]

What does that involve? Are their repercussions for someone forgetting something that big?

Depends on the thing. Sure, there might be repercussions. The mind is a tricky thing. I've done it successfully in the past.

[He's even done it successfully to himself.]

I see. What would those repercussions be? And would there be a way to tell if it had been done?

If you ask me to make you forget something, I can't predict the impact it'll have on your personal life. There typically aren't any side-effects, if that's what you meant.

[As for the other part.]

Generally there's no way of knowing if you've been given a hypnotic suggestion.

I was hoping there might be a way to find out and undo if certain knowledge had been erased from a population of people. Or if it could be brought back if it was. I don't know about ever using such a thing on myself. That seems irresponsible - not accessing the whole of your own knowledge, no matter how painful.

[And sometimes it can be almost unbearably painful. Armin presses his lips together, thinking.]

Can hypnotic suggestions do other things, such as alter your behavior? Make your more amenable to things you might otherwise do?

From a population? Don't know about that. Never tried it on a group. That would probably take something more than just a hypnotist. Technology, drugs...

[It would be more involved.]

But if they were made to forget, they can be made to remember again.

[As for the other part...]

Sure. It can reduce your fear, for instance. I've seen it done to soldiers to make them more willing to go into battle, for instance.

[A little relief crosses his face, knowing that things like that can possibly be reversed. Even if it's not something anyone here knows how to do, it can be reversed. Maybe someday people back home will remember what humanity once was.]

Did the soldiers ask to forget so they could fight better? That seems a little counter-intuitive. The knowledge one gets from each battle survived should decrease one's fear, or at least give one better tools for survival. We always used to say that your chances for survival increased exponentially with each encounter. Though I suppose that doesn't factor in post-traumatic stress.... people who just freeze, or the like.

Every case is different. I can't say it's all for those reasons. Whatever training you may have had, it's a little arrogant of you to criticize another soldier without knowing the details of their service.

[Kid sounds like he knows it all. That's just bein' a kid, though. Ocelot made a lot of mistakes when he was young, thinking he knew right by everything, too.]

[Armin frowns a little.] I wasn't criticize another soldier. I'm criticizing the idea the idea of erasing a soldier's memories. Molding someone's mind a certain way, even if it's to complete an important mission, seems a very dangerous short-term gain that could harm someone's chances of long-term survival. I absolutely understand that risks must be taken and the mission comes first, and a soldier bets their life every mission. But... it doesn't sit well with me, the idea of changing someone's memory. I can see the appeal. Everyone has things they want to forget. But I'd be concerned about being made to forget the things others want you to forget. The power to change someone's mind like that in the wrong hands would ultimately lead to problems, like enslavement. [He speaks from experience.]

If it's what the soldier wants, I'm not gonna stand in his way.

[Especially if it benefits the mission. Though Ocelot's actions have been plenty questionable in the past when it comes to mind manipulation.]

That's a lot of opinion all at once. Sounds to me like you've got some personal issues to deal with.

I've criticized your method and aired concerns, and you've chosen to get personal. I'm arrogant. I have issues. You've even implied I'm overly opinionated. But you don't have an argument against what I've said, so you've gone after who I am and how I've said it instead.

You don't have another way to disagree with me, so you attack. In other words, I'm right.

I really do appreciate the insight you've given to me on hypnosis as a practice. Thank you for sharing that with me.

Edited 2016-08-19 19:00 (UTC)

[Ocelot laughs a little. The kid seems to have misunderstood his intentions entirely. He's sure he can find other interesting subjects to talk to.]

Sure.

Heard some things about the last planet. Mind elaborating?

A chunk of the crew was captured and forced into slavery.

Did this happen planetside, or was the ship boarded?

On the planet. Though the ship was boarded a couple months back in an attack. Let's just say this hasn't been much of a pleasure cruise.

Bad luck, or incompetent management?

I'm guessin' a bit of both.

You're guessing.

I can't speak for the reason every individual was captured. If you think the management is incompetent, you could always take that up with the captains.

[Ocelot would love to see that.]

I'll keep it in mind.

Edited 2016-08-17 19:34 (UTC)

Hey, Ocelot. I'm Tommy. Can you hypnotize me?

You're not gonna ask me to make you cluck like a chicken or something, are you?

No, why the hell would I do that? If I'm gonna let someone hypnotize me, it'd be for something way cooler.

What did you have in mind?

I dunno. Make it easier to connect with people.

[Wow, he totally did not just send that.]

You got social anxiety or something?

No, I meant something deeper, but we don't have to talk about this.

We can talk about it, but maybe we should do it in person.

If you tell me where to meet you, I can be there super fast.

[ooc: Wanna pop up a log or do action tags here? :D]

[Over here.]

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