tucky | ♻ 016

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♻ 016 | audio

You know, I been wondering. If a girl gets pregnant and kills the baby, how many of y'all consider that murder? It's a real... hot-button issue where I come from, I guess; it's a big deal. There's people who feel so strongly about it that they believe the ones who actually do it - the doctors and stuff, and the people who work for 'em - deserve to die too. And it happens. People will go in and kill somebody like that, and other people will celebrate.

But then there's other people who say it ain't bad at all, 'cause we got rights to our own bodies and nobody should try and take that away. That's sexual liberation, and it's the same thing that says girls should be able to have a lot of sex and not get called sluts and whores. I always liked that part, at least, 'cause I been called those things before and it makes you feel dirty and small. But I knew guys who had way more sex than I did, and they never got called shit. Ever notice that? It's weird, how that happens.

And then there's the whole issue with condoms - which I use now, mostly, when I remember, so I don't need another lecture about that; don't worry. If you're gonna have sex, you're supposed to use 'em, or you end up with that problem I already talked about. But condoms are a real pain - they ain’t sexy or romantic or anything like that. You got to stop and put 'em on, and then you can feel 'em, and… I don’t know, I just like it better without. And I bet I ain't the only one.

It's confusing to think about; all of this is. But it's all tied together.

[warden filter]

I'm sorry for flipping the bird on the warden filter last week. I was mad and I'm still a little mad, but I think I do trust y'all, and I would like my actions not to be held against me. Please. Thank you.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

There are lots of different people and places in England.

Well, I've never been there, so I don't know much about it.

It's not a big country but a lot goes on there.

[Britain's interesting, it's busy, and it's not America, which is fun to visit but he wouldn't want to live there. Besides, he has a certain friend living in London's Soho neighborhood.]

I ain't surprised, 'cause there's a lot of people from there here on the Barge.

A decent amount, yeah. D'you talk to them all? How many of them live in London, besides me?

I talk to a lot of 'em. Even my warden's from England, but he's from way in the past and they don't even call it England, so it might not count.

I don't know who's from London, though. I never asked.

Do they call it Albion? [Britain-as-Albion meant a particularly odd era of religious and mythological events.]

Yeah, they do. How'd you know?

It's an old-fashioned name for England. I figured it may be the right one.

Yeah. I don't know when he's from, exactly, but it's a real long time ago. Probably the 1700s or something.

Mmn, try about a thousand years earlier. He's Merlin, right? The Merlin?

I don't know what you mean by that.

Didn't you ever read about King Arthur when you were a kid?

Nope. I'm not a big reader.

But you've heard of him, right?

... I think so. A little bit.

He's an ancient king who united Britain -- Albion. Merlin was supposedly his wizard advisor. Look it up.

If you want a thorough account there's Malory's book Le Morte D'Arthur. In translation, obviously. Otherwise, check an encyclopedia.

Ain't it kind of impolite to look up your warden's life?

Why would it be? They look you up, don't they?

They're wardens. And he didn't read my file.

You believe that? If I was someone's warden that's the first thing I'd do. Wouldn't you?

Probably. But I believe him when he says he didn't.

Mind hearing my opinion? You won't like it.

... Okay.

You trust people too fast.

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