16 (video & text)

[dancing_pierrot]

[This Sunday afternoon, Franziska is sitting by her kitchen window, sunglasses perched atop her head and her whip coiled on her lap. By the angle of her NV, it appears to be propped up on a table several feet away.]I understand that there has been an influx of new arrivals lately. To those of you who don’t know me, my name is Franziska von Karma,

Comments

[Text]

[soul_scatter]

[An elegant flowing script:]

In Soul Society

1) Criminals are detained in the Senzaikyou, if they are shinigami. If not, then they are confined to the Second Division cells.
2) An investigation by both Ninth Division and the Central 46.
3) It depends on the crime. Most are confined within Second Division cells for the duration of their sentence.

If a death sentence is called for, and the criminal is shinigami, then they were taken to Soukyoku hill, and executed. If they are not, then it is carried out by the Central 46 executioner.

Banishment has also been used as a punishment. Shinigami are stripped of their powers and sent to the mortal world, to live out their lives - however long that might be.

There is a final, almost unheard of punishment: confinement to the dongai. Those sentences are for those deemed too dangerous to even execute and the smallest sentence is a millennia.

[Text]

[dancing_pierrot]

Thank you for your response.

If I may, I have some further clarifications I would like to make:

1) Why are shinigami treated differently from the rest of the society? Is it because of the roles they have been tasked with?
2) What kind of personnel are involved with this 'Ninth Division' and 'Central 46'?
3) What is the 'dongai'?

No opinion of the state of matters in Siren's Port?

[Text]

[soul_scatter]

1) Shinigami command powers that normal souls do not. They are treated differently - and, indeed, differently according to how much of those powers they wield - because those powers necessitate the difference.

2) The Central 46 is comprised of forty wise men and six judges gathered from all over Soul Society. They are the ruling body of Soul Society, by mandate of our King. Ninth Division is one of the divisions amongst the Gotei 13 and is comprised of shinigami.

3) The dangai is the precipice world; the area between the world of the living and Soul Society.

As for Siren's Port, I have not had much experience with it. Therefor, I cannot offer a proper opinion as of yet.

[Text]

[dancing_pierrot]

It is probably for the best that you have managed to keep yourself separate from such matters while in this city, and are not causing undue stress on the system unnecessarily.

1) Would those powers allow them to escape from a ordinary prison, necessitating higher-security institutions to hold them?
2) How are these wise men chosen for this ruling body? Are they democratically elected or chosen by the King?
3) I'm assuming that this is an unpleasant location to be trapped within. You mentioned millennia. Are such extended life spans normal where you are from?

[Text]

[soul_scatter]

It would be dishonorable to have more than passing contact with the authorities.

1) Yes.
2) The original 46 were chosen by mandate of the King. The subsequent ones are chosen as replacements by those they are replacing.
3) The dangai is a void. There is nothing and no one. Some even find that chilling while passing through. Life spans are indeed long amongst the shinigami.

[Text]

[dancing_pierrot]

1) Who is it that provides the maintenance and support required to run this high-security facility, or does the infrastructure already support all of that with little interference?
2) Were people generally content with this method of choice, or was there disapproval stemming from the possible corruption this could introduce to the system?
3) So I'm assuming that this punishment only works for one individual at a time?

[Text]

[soul_scatter]

1) It is already supported.
2) Up until recent events, I am unaware of anyone to have any trouble with the selection of members of the Central 46. As the members are cloistered away from most of society, there is very little chance of corruption.
3) No. The dangai is infinite. It is possible to become permanently lost within it. However, the punishment of being contained there is so rare, I do not think it has ever been used.

[Text]

[dancing_pierrot]

1) Interesting. So the system in place is mostly self-sufficient. If only such a structure could be put in place here, but this is a highly irregular society.
2) Despite being cloistered away from most of society, are they still considered to be in touch with its needs?
3) Why not?

[Text]

[soul_scatter]

1) It is a system supported not only by the Gotei 13, but the nobles of Soul Society.
2) Yes.
3) To confine someone to the dangai is to condemn them to madness. Complete and utter sensory deprivation is just the beginning. Add in the echoing loneliness that accompanies that, and it is a cruel punishment that makes the Soukyoku seem a kindness.

[Text]

[dancing_pierrot]

1) Indeed, getting wide-spread support for such a system would be very difficult here, especially with all the internal conflicts between different groups within our society.
2) Really? It was a common complaint, where I was from, that people who represented the populace in such matters hardly represented their modern opinions.
3) But is it not a fitting punishment for the most heinous of crimes?

[Text]

[soul_scatter]

1) I cannot see how it would ever gain support here. Too many factions.
2) We are steeped within our traditions. Who better to enforce it, than those who have no concerns beyond them?
3) The only crime I can be sure it would be used for would be treason.

[Text]

[dancing_pierrot]

1) Agreed.
2) Was this not deemed as a detriment to the future advancement of society?
3) Why treason?

[Text]

[soul_scatter]

2) No. A society cannot move forward and forget its past. The Central 46 also assures that each step forward is careful and meticulous so as not to destroy what came before.

3) Because any other crime can leave you some honor. Treason, by its very nature, means you have none.

[Text]

[dancing_pierrot]

2) Not forget its past as such, but in times where they might, say, be an external threat, would you not want a committee in place that would be able to make fast, effective and modern decisions? Or is it more that the tried and tested way is always better?
3) If it was for the greater good? Would it be still classified as such?

[Text]

[soul_scatter]

2) During a time of threat, there are protocols in place to insure the safety of Soul Society. There is also the ability for our soutaichou to declare martial law and the Gotei 13 to act as the military force we are.

3) Treason is treason. If you see a problem with the law, then work within it to change. To betray everyone and everything strips you of your honor and destroys anything 'good' you might have done. No one trusts a traitor.

[Text]

[dancing_pierrot]

So, to sum up, the system that was in place where you came from was, in your opinion, perfect?