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[Powder Miner]

I agree with chubby for the most part... but I suspect that despite the presentation here seeming to imply otherwise, Kevin probably is also involved here, with the doors then meaning the doors of his community college.

Damn, though, I don't wanna throw Martin in the trash.
Turn around and leave.

[FallacyofUrist]

Turn around and leave.

This is something beautiful.

[Man of Paper]

Devin's eyes close as they take a deep breath in, exhale, and then walk away from the chapel. The sharp pain in Devin's chest gets more intense with every step, and tears begin to run down their cheeks, but the decision is made. Devin drives off and decides not to contact anyone in their relatively tight-knit life, at least for a little while, too embarrassed to face everyone they had let down or hurt for what they knew was the most selfish possible decision in the moment. But if they didn't put themself first, who would? Devin winds up fully embracing the quarter-life crisis, quitting their job the same day of the wedding and living out of a van while traveling around searching for themself.


You are Martin, and it's been a few days since you conquered temptation. It's been a year or so since you last went to one, but you decided you should attend a local Alcoholics Anonymous meeting in the basement of a church. You recognize a couple of the faces - some looking much worse now than they did - and shake a few hands before taking a seat on a cold metal folding chair. The room is pretty bright and you start to lose yourself in thought as you take in your surroundings. You were never very big on "the faith" in your adulthood, and you didn't really care for the religious under-(and over-)tones AA provided in their programs. They did give you some of that companionship and camaraderie you liked the bars for, so they weren't all bad. It didn't take long after the meeting started for you to remember exactly why you stopped going to them: each session was an hour or two of people trying not to drink while talking almost exclusively about all the times they drank. The meeting foreman eventually attempts to direct the conversation to the "new" arrival and asks why you've shown up. You could indulge them and talk about your recent brush with addiction, but it was fairly common, and almost expected, for new or returning attendees to be a little guarded.


You are Alvin, a soldier struggling with the intense ringing in your ears. A grenade had dropped into your hole, and while one of your buddies took the brunt of the blast himself, he hadn't managed to shield the machine gunner who was now trying to claw (most of) himself out of the smoking pit. A relentless enemy assault was launched with zero warning on the medical post you'd been assigned to defend, and your position seems to be the focus of the initial assault. You can taste copper as you quickly assess yourself as "alive" and realize you have a decision to make very quickly. You could try to man the machine gun and fight off the approaching enemy for as long as possible to buy the post time to respond, but they're already close enough to hit your position with grenades. The best chance you imagine you have to survive is to stay low, bury yourself among the dead, and hope you can stay hidden long enough for the defense to halt the enemy or, if it gets really bad, to escape enemy-occupied territory. You wouldn't be able to face your brothers in arms again, but at least you'd get to face your kid.


Choose:

A. Open up
B. Lay low

[FallacyofUrist]

Definitely making me feel pretty philosophical. There is no 'objective', no goal that isn't self-set. We decide collectively, but how do we decide?

Without ever discussing it, we seem to be trying to create the greatest possible good.

There are no obvious, clear answers. It's just life, presented in an entirely unfamiliar way.

It'll help Martin to get his feelings off his chest.

It'd help Alvin to you know, not die.

It'd help the people in the medical post if Alvin stalled for time.

Today, we play god.

Open up.

Sleep well, Alvin.

[Quarque]

Open up.

(Not sure if this really is best for the greater good, Alvin could be fighting for the next Hitler. But hey I'm rooting for Martin now.)

[crazyabe]

Lay Low

[a1s]

I think there's too much sunk cost going on with Martin,

but in this case Open up.

[Jerick]

Lay Low

[chubby2man]

Errrr Open Up

[IncompetentFortressMaker]

Open up

[S1lentWanderer]

Open Up

[Powder Miner]

This feels like the sort of thing that could have unexpected side effects but WHEEEE

Open up

[ZBridges]

Open up

[King Zultan]

Open up

[Man of Paper]

For extraordinary heroism and conspicuous intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty during action against enemy Japanese forces in the Solomon Islands on the morning of 17 September 1942. Pfc. Alvin M. [REDACTED] was positioned on watch in a lightly developed machine gun nest responsible for defending the nearby aid center. Facing a swift and sudden Japanese attack which, preceded by a volley of hand grenades augmented by mortar fire, had crashed through our front lines, he, now the only combat-capable soldier at his position, successfully manned the machine gun and fought to turn the enemy. Unable to dislodge Alvin, Japanese forces engaged his surrounded position with grenades, rifle fire, and hand-to-hand combat for multiple grueling minutes. Enduring countless injuries, Pfc. [REDACTED] managed to destroy two dozen of the enemy while facing insurmountable odds. Having provided the aid post time to organize a defense, Alvin was finally reinforced but refused to be withdrawn until his fallen brothers in arms could be evacuated. In this time two more assaults were successfully repelled by the now fully-manned position thanks to Alvin's continued actions. However, as the enemy action ebbed, a Japanese grenade landed at Pfc. [REDACTED]'s feet, who hastily threw himself atop the enemy missile and absorbed the shattering violence of the exploding charge in his own body. Stouthearted and indomitable in the face of certain death, Pfc. Alvin M. [REDACTED] fearlessly yielded his own life that his able comrades might carry on the relentless battle against a ruthless enemy. His superb valor and unfaltering devotion to duty throughout reflect the highest credit upon himself and upon the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.

You are Martin, and you've begun telling strangers about your most recent very intimate internal struggle. Someone in the circle clicks their tongue as if to judge you, but the group foreman quickly puts a stop to that. You finish your story and receive a polite, quiet applause before you are asked a few more questions about how you felt in the moment, how you feel now, typical inquiries meant to get you thinking about your coping mechanisms. They don't work, and you feel as empty and borderline helpless when the meeting comes to an end as you did when you came in and sat down. You're finishing your lukewarm coffee when you're approached by another member of the recovery group. She's a few years your junior by the looks of her, and a little out of place as a black woman in your neighborhood - an issue for some, but the civil rights movement of a few years ago has seen a slight easing in racial tensions. You like to think of yourself as a good person, and consider yourself someone race is not a problem for. What might be a problem is her request: she wants you to take a ride with her to the bar you talked about.


You are Kevin, and these books have been kicking your ass. Having to pivot from a focus on sports to more academic pursuits hasn't proven to be impossible, but you find yourself behind your peers thanks to the slacking you were so keen on in your high school years. The library at the community college has become the backdrop for the majority of your life now, and as the lights begin to dim for another night you stretch, gather your things, and leave. You're tired, but the fresh air is invigorating (and doing a great job of clearing out the library must in your lungs). You could hop on your bike and go straight home, or you could take a bit of a detour and unwind.


Choose:

A. Take a ride.
B. Go home.