Blackwell: "I informed Ms. Hess's PRT handler of the reported violations, and I was told that the PRT would handle discipline in-house. I believed her. Why wouldn't I? It's not my fault she neglected to pass the report up the chain to someone who would actually rein Hess in."
Whirlwind Productions (Cyclone's snippets & update announcements)
- Thread starter Cyclone
- Start date
Blackwell: "I informed Ms. Hess's PRT handler of the reported violations, and I was told that the PRT would handle discipline in-house. I believed her. Why wouldn't I? It's not my fault she neglected to pass the report up the chain to someone who would actually rein Hess in."
- Location
- In the depts of despair.
"And the paperwork? You know you have to write a report for each mentioned incident and it needs both your signature and the signature of the PRT agent who receives it. Plus the internal paperwork for the school, and before you say something, remember that this paperwork is to provide a clear record for your security and that of the school."
A school dealing with a Federal Law Enforcement Office should be mired in paperwork, and ironically enough the paperwork is not busywork but an important level of protection for both parties. If not is her word against the word of a LEO in good standing, and while she might be believed by the press she wouldn't survive the corresponding lawsuit by the PRT/Protectorate.
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That sounds like it opens the school district to charges of Collusion and witness tampering, but it's certainly possible they're idiots.
That sounds plausible.
The bolded part is wrong. Even if Blackwell was actively hiding things it was still the responsibility of Sophia's probation officer or
- Location
- In the depts of despair.
Yeah, but if it comes to who is going to be believed on a trial a fed (even a lazy or truting idiot) wins against a school director that let that kind of stuff go on for a long time even with the non-heroic bullies. What I mean is that Blackwell lawyer would need to prove that she gave the PRT information about Sophia's actions and they gave her clear instructions to let it go on, while the PRT only needs show a lack of paperwork from the school talking about the abuse of a student.
Well, the other bullies weren't on probation, nor were there any resources available to investigate them when there was no evidence and no witnesses.
VolantRedX
Official Conscience of Worm Fanfiction!
One thing this might do that would be very positive, it might create a bigger push to make therapy and psych screening amongst the Wards mandatory and common. I mean as bad as Sophia's situation and issues were the damage was quite limited.
That would certainly help more than passing the blame or making pamphlets.
I'm not sure if that aligns with Cauldron and the shards' goals of maximizing capes through conflict though, so it might get shot down.
I'm not sure if that aligns with Cauldron and the shards' goals of maximizing capes through conflict though, so it might get shot down.
- Location
- In the depts of despair.
Which is going to be damn hard if the PRT continues with the rotation schedule for therapists, not to mention that Sophia was known to be violence prone, but she was also smart and sane enough to understand the consequences of her acts, but as most people with sociopathic tendencies she simply learned just how far to push the system before it pushed back, and in this case it was farther than anyone would have expected to be before any flags were tripped.
tertius
drunken shitposter extraordinaire
Yeah, that's just.. ticking off a box on govt mandated standards of therapy without actually giving them therapy. It only makes sense from a checkbox perspective.
VolantRedX
Official Conscience of Worm Fanfiction!
You know it's weird because I know it's canon, but IIRC by the time Taylor starts seeing Dr Yamada she is the only doctor dealing with Taylor. Anyone know if it got changed or something?
Conservation of Detail?
- Location
- In the depts of despair.
The question would be for how long before changing her? I don't remember how many months she was ith the Wards when Yamada was mentioned, plus Taylor just knew enough secrets that the PRT command could have decided to limit exposure to a single person whose job is to gain the trust of their patients so they can open up and tell their innermost secrets.
VolantRedX
Official Conscience of Worm Fanfiction!
While we don't know SOP when it comes to this we can make a good guess. Weld is the one that institutes the therapy in canon about a week or two after Levi attacks, from there CB mentions Dr Yamada not being the usual therapist with surprise and needs the rotation explained to him. That was about two or three months after the attack. I'd think the logical thing would be 4 changes a year, so every three months.
Honestly though it's dumb in-universe with people even calling it out as such, and it feels like it's only there to have more evidence that the PRT is indifferent to the well being of the heroes and totally tone deaf. I say it's one of those things it's best to just ignore when possible in fics.
I thought there was an actual reason behind the therapist shifts, something about a past therapist manipulating a Ward into doing something and the incident led to the current policy so the rotated therapists could spot manipulation by the previous therapist?
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Sure. But when it's a school administrator that tried to fix things but was hampered by the same crooked/lazy/idiot fed the administrator wins. It's just a question of which version of events the Jury believes.
The shards wouldn't help, but I think Cauldron would be neutral to positive on increased therapy for the Protectorate/Wards. They want additional people to trigger, but part of maximizing capes includes keeping them from self-destructing before being of use, and therapy for active heroes wouldn't hurt the first and would help the latter. That said, I don't think it would help much, because of...
That's exactly what happened. Wildbow elaborated on this in PRT Quest, where a psychiatrist intentionally sent his patient into a psychotic break in order to get material for his research. I don't think that specific event was the impetus for the policy, the timeline doesn't work out for that, but it is an example of what an unethical psychiatrist could do to a vulnerable cape. Thus, the PRT decided that maximally effective therapy wasn't worth the risk of an infiltrator subverting one or more unstable heroes, especially given that the policy makers, i.e. Costa-Brown, are perfectly aware of how the shards distort their user's psyche.
- Location
- Little Rock, AR
It was one with a psychaitrist sending a ward crazy for a resaearch study. There was a body count. It got out.
They stopped doing maximally effective therapy as SOP to reduce chance of that happening agains becuase stable enough is good enough with what they know about capes and how one jack slash moment can have negative impacts far in excess of the general uptick of mental health when it's sabotaged in the first place.
Anywho Sophia had mandotory therapy. And Psych screens are mandatory anyway. But making Therapy mandotory is going to run head long in to triggered teenagers hating therapists and talking about thier shit.
VolantRedX
Official Conscience of Worm Fanfiction!
But I could totally see the Nacy Graces of Earth Bet running hit pieces on how kids in the Wards never have an outlet for their issues and so on and so on. Hell it might just be internal pressure to prevent another incident from happening. Last thing the heroes need is to look like bullies.
The Wards seemed to like it. Its effectiveness is debatable but none of them resented the idea.
- Location
- Little Rock, AR
Therapy is voluntary unless you prove it shouldn't be.
Voluntary!
Cyclone
Robotech Nerd
- Location
- Earth, Sol System
The thing is, per WoG, Sophia was already going to mandatory therapy sessions, presumably as a condition of her probation, so making it mandatory for all Wards would have changed absolutely zilch about the current situation. I'm sure someone might try to spin it -- people are stupid, after all -- but that particular measure doesn't really hold water.
No, I expect there to be calls for greater monitoring and a less "hands off" approach with probationary Wards, if not all Wards. Periodic and mandatory reviews of all probationary Wards' civilian and school lives, perhaps a separate agent tasked specifically with receiving and reporting any disciplinary complaints but otherwise not linked to the Wards program at all, in order to eliminate the risk of a single agent (like Sophia's probation officer) covering things up to protect their cushy position. A clear requirement from school administrations to pass along all disciplinary complaints against a Ward for PRT investigation, regardless of how frivolous or unfounded it may appear. An anonymous bullying hotline to give bullying victims an alternative means to get help, one with links to the PRT so it has the authority to handle problem Wards if necessary.
EDIT: This is all in addition to anti-bullying PSAs, a deeper investigation into the school system, and a call for more thorough background checks before offering probationary Wards membership. The fact that the bullying started long before Sophia joined the Wards means that it should fall on Blackwell and the school, even though Taylor didn't start gathering evidence until after she joined the Wards. That same fact also demonstrates a failure on the PRT's part to properly investigate their prospective recruits before extending an offer.
No, I expect there to be calls for greater monitoring and a less "hands off" approach with probationary Wards, if not all Wards. Periodic and mandatory reviews of all probationary Wards' civilian and school lives, perhaps a separate agent tasked specifically with receiving and reporting any disciplinary complaints but otherwise not linked to the Wards program at all, in order to eliminate the risk of a single agent (like Sophia's probation officer) covering things up to protect their cushy position. A clear requirement from school administrations to pass along all disciplinary complaints against a Ward for PRT investigation, regardless of how frivolous or unfounded it may appear. An anonymous bullying hotline to give bullying victims an alternative means to get help, one with links to the PRT so it has the authority to handle problem Wards if necessary.
EDIT: This is all in addition to anti-bullying PSAs, a deeper investigation into the school system, and a call for more thorough background checks before offering probationary Wards membership. The fact that the bullying started long before Sophia joined the Wards means that it should fall on Blackwell and the school, even though Taylor didn't start gathering evidence until after she joined the Wards. That same fact also demonstrates a failure on the PRT's part to properly investigate their prospective recruits before extending an offer.
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Cyclone
Robotech Nerd
- Location
- Earth, Sol System
Three updates today.
First, Issue #2 of Superwomen of Eva: Legacies: True Blue by Cody Fett is out!
Second, in Darkness Rising, the final showdown of Cape & Cowl begins in Cowl 3.8!
And finally, The Great Game 2.1 marks the beginning of a new arc in Phenomenal Cosmic Power!
First, Issue #2 of Superwomen of Eva: Legacies: True Blue by Cody Fett is out!
Second, in Darkness Rising, the final showdown of Cape & Cowl begins in Cowl 3.8!
And finally, The Great Game 2.1 marks the beginning of a new arc in Phenomenal Cosmic Power!
- Pronouns
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There'd definitely be calls for a LOT less freedom for all Wards, partly because there are certain people whose reaction to anything is "less freedom" (for everyone but them) and partly because there are groups using guarding the Wards freedoms to promote their political agenda, and partly for other reasons. Those calls might get ignored and a more rational compromise reached (although that seems remarkably optimistic for Worm) but the calls will be there.
Actually, there is irony there, and was a nice touch for me. She actually had a chance to fix things,or at least not end up on the very bottom rung of the school. Look at the set up. There was one potential supporter (Julia), Emma, and the aggressor (Stalking Horse). Everybody else was just...watching.
Here was her opportunity. If she had managed to beat the stalking horse, whether socially by getting him in trouble with Blackwell or physically by well, beating the shit out of him, she would have been fine. She would have gone back to being the queen of the school and perhaps even stronger since people would have seen her as the true power behind the Trio and seen her as still untouchable.
If she had lashed out against the guy and lost, she would have been dethroned certainly, and almost definitely messed with by the E88, but she wouldn't have been all that bad off. Some mild bullying and shunning and she probably would have settled somewhere in the middle of the school's social ladder. Not really an asset to her old friends, but still too dangerous to mess with.
But she did the worst possible thing and proved that she wasn't the real power of the old Trio. She proved that she really couldn't handle things on her own. And after ruling the school for so long, well, it's the equivalent of going skinny-dipping in the Amazon.
With a bleeding cut...
VolantRedX
Official Conscience of Worm Fanfiction!
You have an odd view of high school social situations. Most normal people don't weigh a person by their ability to project force, physical or otherwise. Most people likely don't want to get near Emma because they know she's going to have a microscope on her for the near future, and people who had scores to settle know she's out of favour with the administration so they can push their luck.
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Fixed. People weigh other people by their ability to project force constantly, it's just not a conscious process most of the time.