#ch: lochlan

[dxsole]

@icarianbroil | Cont. from X

Lochlan did everything by the book. Everything. In all the years he worked with Joe and now Raymundo, Lochlan was always there as backup, because you never stray too far from your partner, even when you're just questioning a suspect.

Perhaps he had put his guard down, a mistake he made rarely and would surely never make again. She was the victim, someone he felt he needed to comfort rather than treat with suspicion. Although some things hadn't felt right on the case, Lochlan was confident they would figure out these loose ends.

He didn't think she'd be armed. Or that she'd shoot on sight.

There are lapses in memory, but he knows he shot back. There's a door open a few blocks away with a dead suspect crumpled in the doorway— all Lochlan could do was find the nearest safe haven.

Even now, he's disoriented. Protocol would have been to call it in. All he could think about now was finding his partner in the haze. "I'm sorry—" It's wheezed out as he lays down in a familiar couch, in a familiar place. Blood is pooling in his stomach, red-stained hands still clutching at the wound.

"Joe, I—" It's a searing sort of pain. The kind that fans out and seems to send a jolt through all your nerve-endings. He's always heard it described as a dull pain and he hopes he gets to that point, because this initial sharpness took his breath away. "I don't—" He groans, eyes fluttering shut and brows furrowing tightly together as they usually did. "I don't—" Wheeze. "I don't want to die."

[dxsole]

Lochlan has to admit, he feels relieved at the assurance and it shows in how his shoulders seem to relax, lowering slightly and making him look a pinch less stiff. Perhaps it's just him, but past consultants always rubbed him the wrong way.

"Good." And the niceties end there, Lochlan getting back to the task at hand. "The body of a white male, aged thirty-two was called in by the housekeeper at the motel here. Wallet indicates that this may be Henrik George— waiting on dental records to come in. He's got a Nevada address on his license...most likely a tourist. Casual clothing in the suitcase suggests for vacation rather than a business matter— the victim's car keys and motel key are seemingly missing," Although, with the state of the place, it might be lost in the mess.

Lochlan stares down, scrutinizing eyes scanning the body. Large wound at the back of the head, most likely a surprise attack. "No signs of forced entry that we can see— thoughts Doctor Doyle?"

Lochlan wasn't sure what part of this whole situation he was more peeved over; the fact that the department felt he needed help or that he needed help from a criminal. Not even an alleged criminal, an actual criminal.

"...Doctor Doyle." It's said without a smile— in fact, it doesn't look like he could smile. The man's brows were permanently furrowed and gaze icy regardless if he was talking to Doyle, a fellow officer, or a member of the public. Let's just say, no one really gets much warmth from Lochlan.

He slightly bristles at dumbass, the word a pinch too close to what those vultures that call themselves journalists like to call him when a case isn't moving at the pace they wanted or when he preferred to answer no comment to all their questions. "Just as long as you understand who's in charge. If you have any insights, I am the first to know. I'm not too keen on consultants that go off and try to skip protocol. This investigation will be to the letter."

[magebunkshelf]

Nearly there! Hope you come join us for the premiere soon!

Also the rebrand is now live! Almost every audio on the channel now has an updated thumbnail! Will post fully about that soon, just wanted to note that not every audio has been updated yet, so if your favourite series still looks the same, don't worry, it's just delayed -

Audios that will be updated with rebranded thumbnails in the near future

Alien Abduction

Old Vampire

Moth Listener

Lochlan the Merman

Lunar Mission (will mostly look the same - the new style is based on this audio's unique thumbnail)

Audios that will not be updated

Helping Mordecai (entry to a friend's contest)

The Raven poem reading

The compilation audios

The Temptations of Satan April Fool's'' ASMR audio

The minisodes (I may add the continuity logos in the corner later but the designs won't change)

Audios that might be updated in the future but not a current priority

Respawn Ch. 1–3 Compilation

Stories From Respawn: The Creator and the Beginning

Everything else has now been updated! Yes, even that one.

See you in the live chat shortly! ^ ^ (also it might take half an hour or maybe longer for some thumbnails to update, YT is slow to update them sometimes)

[dxsole]

"well, he ain't moving." for Lochlan

🔫 CAN'T HAVE REAL GUN EMOJI. BECAUSE OF WOKE | Not Accepting.

Both Lochlan and the perpetrator are barely breathing. "—Will you be quiet for one minute." It's spat with a little more condescension than he wanted, but it was a tense situation.

Especially as Raymundo was out of the line of sight and Lochlan was, apparently, stuck with the private investigator.

Usually, Lochlan couldn't rightly stand investigators outside of the department. Helpful as they could be, they often tended to step all over a proper investigation or put themselves in unnecessary danger all for a paycheck. Richard got a free pass only due to his previous service.

But he's on thin ice.

Steps are slow and silent as he moves closer. He had aimed for the shoulder, which should have been more than enough force to get the gun from his hand—

Lost revolver is kicked away before Lochlan hovers over their suspect. "Steven Digby, you are under arrest for the murders of Gabrielle Rand, Lisette Kay, and Trudy Ryans—" Miranda Rights are read, Officer Palomo eventually coming in from around the back of the building, cursing under his breath over the fact that he's missed the apparent showdown.

"See, this is why I didn't want your company." Again, it's not said angrily as it is in his usually stern tone. "Richard, you've been most helpful, but you're still a civilian. You can't be out...chasing down murder suspects."

[scriptuurient]

character intro || lochlan “lock” findlay || UNTITLED  

the crackling purple sign emblazoned with a spread of cards and the word PSYCHIC was the only draw towards the small cottage. it had needed a new coat of paint since 1997 and the front porch was unfortunately creaky, but the current occupant insisted that these things only added to the ambiance. he was correct. 

he was sitting in what used to be the downstairs living room. it was sparsely decorated, which always surprised his clients. though, not as much as he himself did. there were certain images that folks associate with a purple neon PSYCHIC sign. he fit none of them. he was pale, short, with clear grey eyes and a line of acne across his left cheekbone. he scrolled idly on his phone, waiting for something. 

a woman pulled into the gravel driveway. her name is irrelevant. he was already smiling when she entered, a welcoming expression that reached his eyes. they exchanged pleasantries, but it was clear she wasn’t in the mood for idle conversation. 

he moved a large clear crystal off of a beautiful deck of cards. “they belonged to my mother,” he said, beginning to shuffle them fondly. it was a half truth, as so many things about her experience would be. they did belong to his mother, but it was wrong of him to imply she had ever used them for divination. 

the woman was quiet, simply observing him. he knew her type – they felt as though speaking would break the spell and he capitalized on their awe. it was ever so easy for her to miss the subtle changes in the shuffling. he slipped the cards where he wanted them, weaving a tapestry that would make her desperate to return. 

divination was never his talent. his talent was reading his clients. he knew what they wanted to hear. he knew what to say to make them come back to him, time and time again. he laid out three cards in order, explaining as he did so – past, present, future. she needed to know that things were going to be okay, and she would return for him to tell her such again. the cards told a story of growth and possibility. it was so easy. 

she slid her payment across the table, looking relieved. as she left, he picked up his cards to pack them away. one slipped from the deck and landed face up. the tower taunted him from where it sat. he scoffed and dropped the rest of the deck on top of it.

a storm blew in from the ocean. a lone man with tangled hair stepped smoothly out of the waves and out of his skin. lock turned on the television, still pleasantly ignorant of what was to come. 

[dxsole]

Lochlan often made people uncomfortable— and he wasn't even trying. The stoicism, icy blue eyes, plus his permanently furrowed brow that just made him look grumpy all the time didn't seem to put anyone at ease.

But he was effective, and Philip would reach his destination safely even if Lochlan had to be maimed in the process. If anything, he's taking this assignment as a sign he's moving up. It took a very trusted local detective to work with an agency as prestigious as WitSec and he's taking this as a sign of admiration.

"...I suppose I could...do that." It's said gruffly and it's clear he's used to his own methods. But he does believe in protecting and serving the public, and accommodating Philip would be a part of that.

So, he sits himself down on the armchair, still looking posed and ready to attack. It takes him a moment to actually settle into the chair, back eventually sinking into the cushion, Lochlan's long legs stretching out a bit. "...This is very plush."

night watch; lochlan & neil thrombey phillip

[thattallbloke]

I didn't know I needed you. Then you walked into my life, And everything c h a n g e d.

[dxsole]

The detective's hand runs down the entire length of his face, eyes raised to the sky, silently asking the heavens what he did to deserve this conversation.

Lochlan was meant to serve the community through the act of deduction, research, testing, and interrogation, but sometimes the community can be very unreasonable.

With as much professionalism as he can muster, he replied, "Plausible...is not grounds for an arrest warrant."

[turninginasignments]

Final Draft

Lochlan Dean

Fish 

English 2020

March 30th, 2020

Research Conducted on Altruism

Throughout human society’s history, there have always been questions about science and philosophy with the biggest names being Aristotle and Socrates for their philosophical ideas or Albert Einstein and Rosalind Franklin for their advancements throughout history. We receive new answers to questions and new questions every day that need to be answered. One notion that we researchers have looked into is the idea of altruism. Altruism is the concept of selfless actions or thoughts towards another individual. The term altruism was first thought up by a sociologist and philosopher of science named Auguste Comte. Ever since then altruism has been a major topic for evolutionary psychology researchers, psychology researchers, evolutionary biologists, and others to look into. The concept of altruism is a debated one today as there are few concrete facts about it. There are many hypotheses, theories, and ideas on the subject done by many different researchers throughout the decades. One of the biggest questions that is still unanswered is “where does altruism come from?” There may be some debates on the concept of altruism but one thing that is generally agreed upon is the idea that humans are altruistic and have empathy. One thing that is not known is where that human altruism comes from - is it biological in our genes or psychological? For this paper, I have decided to look into different sources to get an understanding of altruism and to be able to add my own voice to the discourse. I have looked at a variety of different sources ranging from public speeches, mini-documentaries, and of course, a number of peer-reviewed scholarly articles. As there are new studies being conducted frequently and new information being collected by them I have limited my sources to those conducted within the last 15 years. The discourse for altruism is vast and there are different ideas on where altruism has its origination in humans. 

One of the biggest questions that researchers want to answer about altruism is if it is biological or psychological. I am sure we are all familiar with Charles Darwin’s contributions to our understanding of nature and biology in his book On the Origin of Species. Darwin argues that all life in this world evolved through a brutal competition of existence. It is Darwin who is responsible for the idea of natural selection, which he thought is how life evolved. He also used the term survival of the fittest to describe natural selection. Natural selection is accepted by evolutionists to be a process that species evolve. Self-preservation is also thought to be a major drive factor on what dictates humans actions. There is the idea according to neoclassical economics that rational beings do whatever they need to in order to maximize their own wealth. The traditional views of both evolutionary biology and psychology have left little room for altruism. Darwin himself was unable to give a reason for biological altruism in his book. In his book, Darwin said “Can we consider the sting of the wasp or of the bee as perfect which… inevitably causes the death of the insect” (Darwin Ch. 6) Altruism is not only a human concept, but it is also found all throughout the animal kingdom in nature. 

Altruism is an umbrella term that can cover a vast number of other terms. There may not be one set type of altruism but there are different terms that are generally agreed upon. Two big main ones are biological altruism and psychological altruism. Biological altruism is tied to the biological fitness of the organism. When an organism does a biological altruistic act it is an act that helps the survival of another at the cost of its own physical health. As stated earlier altruism is not just found in humans but is also found in various animals in the animal kingdom. Some prime examples are vampire bats regurgitating blood to feed other bats from other families if they failed to hunt that night, or when an animal does a warning cry when they spot a predator, thus drawing attention to themself but warning others. Psychological altruism is when the actor just wants good for others with no reward. Psychological altruism relies heavily on the psychological state of the actor at the time. Another type of altruism that is similar to psychological altruism is helping altruism, which covers the acts that do not fall into either of the previously mentioned categories. Helping altruism is the concept that humans help other humans just for the sake of doing the action of helping someone, instead of it focusing on an individual’s mental state. This type of altruism focuses on all of humankind as a whole. Any act can fall into an individual type or multiple types. With the debate and non-unified ideas, there are many other types that fall under those three categories. There are some subcategories that are generally agreed upon. The first one is kin selection. Kin selection is an altruistic act for one’s relatives or possibly another organism in their small grouping. A second is reciprocal altruism. Reciprocal altruism is the idea of doing an altruistic act for another organism with the expectation that you will receive an altruistic act back; the term “you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours” describes this one well. The third idea is indirect reciprocity, which is the idea that acts are given on the concept of reputation and wanting to avoid getting a bad reputation. Signaling is an idea that is not as commonly accepted as the other three, since it is similar to indirect reciprocity. The difference is that instead of performing an altruistic act to avoid getting a bad reputation, you do an altruistic act to signal that you are a good person. There is another idea of altruism called egotistical altruism. The idea of egotistical altruism is being altruistic towards others so that it will better the world which in turn will make your own life better. Egotistical altruism argues that the reason people will potentially do altruistic acts towards total strangers that they will never see again can be because of this idea. An example of egotistical altruism is someone donating money to help better conditions in some small groups in a third world country so that the inhabitants can have a better life and therefore make the world a better place. Education is a good example of egotistical altruism: if you help someone with financial issues and they are able to get an education, they can further contribute towards certain fields. Altruism can be thought of as a family tree chart, with the word altruism at the top as the head of the family with other terms going down getting more into specifics but they can all be traced back up to altruism. Having a general concept of the different ideas of altruism can help give a better understanding of altruism itself and hopefully help at looking at the origins of altruism, and solving the puzzle that is “why are humans altruistic?”

There are many different ideas on altruism and different fields of study hope to be able to explain it. One of these fields of study is genetics. Genetics is the study of heredity and the variation of inherited characteristics. Genetics is a relatively new science that started in 1905 but did not take off in popularity until technology had advanced enough for a scientist to be able to accurately look into it. One such event was when the first picture of DNA was taken. The picture was taken by Watson and Crick using a technique called X-ray crystallography that was invented by Rosalind Franklin. All living things have DNA makeup inside of them making them who they are. Despite humans being separated throughout the world, we are still generally all alike and that is due to the fact that we are all 99.9% genetically alike with each other. Genetics is one way that evolutionary biologists have tried to explain altruism. 

Richard Dawkins is a well-known scientist around the world who presents one explanation on why humans are altruistic. Dawkins is an English ethologist, evolutionary biologist, and author who has been contributing to the field of science since the 1960s. Richard Dawkins came up with the idea of the “selfish gene” on altruism and published it in 1976. Dawkins argued that humans are all just genetic survival machines. Survival of the fittest really only means the survival of the genes - a gene that doesn’t look after itself doesn’t survive. Richard Dawkins tries to use the science of genetics to crack the code of altruism. Dawkins makes the argument that the main objective of genes is to survive, which they do by organisms reproducing and passing the genes onto the offspring, essentially making genes “immortal.” He argues that the way our genes can achieve their goal of being passed down to future generations is by the typical self-preservation mentality. The way altruism comes into the picture is Dawkins claims that there are instances where the gene can achieve its selfish goals by doing a form of altruism. This theory best supports the idea of kin selection. Kin selection is when an individual organism acts in the best interests of other members of their family and/or small group, even at a cost to itself. The argument is that due to the selfish desires of our genes they produce unselfish actions to those around us. If our genes help related organisms reproduce, by helping ensure their survival, a gene then succeeds in helping copies of itself be reproduced and passed on. Dawkins’s theory is that altruism came from the selfish desires of our genes and we are just the vessel that carries our genes and DNA. 

There are some counter-arguments to Dawkins’s selfish gene theory. Richard Dawkins’s theory on the selfish gene is only backed by biological altruism and not by psychological altruism. One criticism is on Dawkins’s gene-centered view. Dawkins assumes the struggle for survival takes place on the genetic level and focuses on the survival of the genes instead of the organism as a whole. While that argument can be valid, many scientists have considered it too fluid of an argument without enough scientific backing for it. The main criticism is that this theory is too narrow-focused. It relies on genetic survivability and uses kin selection as a major backing up point, but there are many other types of altruism that this theory does not help back up. This theory only applies to populations in which sexual reproduction causes complete allelic mixing, panmictic organisms. There are organisms that are not panmictic so this theory would not apply to them. 

There is another idea on what the origins of altruism are that follows evolutionary genetics and genes. All the ideas of altruism that have been previously explained in this research paper have all been ideas that give back to the actor. There was one group of scientists, who called themselves the collective, that came up with the idea that the reason why humans are altruistic has to do with none of those ideas. They operate under the assumption that behavioral mechanisms are not perfect goal-seeking devices, like what Richard Dawkins claimed the genes were. The collective thinks that behavior mechanisms are context-specific physiological systems that respond to different environmental cues in order to engage what is the best course of action, based on evolutionary history. The collective think that altruism is backed more by psychological reasons and not biological ones. Some evidence to help support this idea is a study done on people helping other people. It was found that people were more likely to perform an altruistic act while having outside environmental forces paying a part. In particular, this study found that altruistic acts were performed always but that there was a stark increase when people were being watched by robots with human-looking eyes. The argument is that humans have strong reciprocity towards other humans, but that the reason for it is not due to any of the reasons previously mentioned (such as kin selection or reciprocal altruism). The collective argues that there is a biological and evolutionary logic to human cooperation. The idea is that the reason humans are altruistic is due to genes misfiring. The common human social environment, society, has only been around for 0.1% of all of human history; or in metaphorical terms has advanced in a gene’s eyeblink. The idea is, our social environment advancing so quickly has left some strange tendencies left over from past eras. It is thought that due to kin selection or reciprocal altruism or other forms of altruism, it helped humankind survive and advance in past eras when we lived in smaller groups. Now that we live in the world today things are different. A perfect example to liken it to is sexual reproduction. Humans feel a desire to reproduce and generate offspring. There are biological and evolutionary triggers to make us feel desire even though in today’s time humans engage in sexual intercourse without the purpose of having offspring. Contraceptives have been invented to thwart the outcome of having offspring, and yet we still have the biological urges and desires to engage in sexual intercourse. The idea is that being altruistic is much the same. In the past, there was the biological and genetic push to be altruistic to better help our species survive, and that is the reason people feel the desire to be nice today. It is a leftover evolutionary push. The difference between this argument for the origin of altruism and the selfish gene theory is this argument pushes the idea that it is a gene misfire - something from the past that is still in us - and it focuses on the organism as a whole. The selfish gene theory focuses on the individual genetic view and claims that the selfish gene is still within us. 

There are of course problems with this argument as well. This argument states that humans are naturally and biologically altruistic and caring. Perhaps the biggest reason why this argument might be hard to accept is because it goes against decades of biological research that states humans are inherently selfish. This argument is relatively new to the discourse compared to the many other ideas that have been researched about human nature. The economics standpoint is perhaps the most effective counter-argument to this idea. Another argument for this idea is the fact that there have to be social, political, or environmental restrictions upon people or else negative interactions can occur between people. Some examples of that are the pirate rule in the Caribbean in the 18th century, warlords, and other anarchistic situations. The argument is that we can not simply rely on humans being naturally altruistic or empathetic towards the good of the group. Instead, we require social, environmental, political, and economic restrictions to ensure the cooperation of individuals and have them avoid temptation. 

There are other voices in the existing work as the body of work on altruism is quite vast. The main reason I have conducted the research for this paper is to develop my own understanding of the issue so that I can add my own voice and arguments to the discourse. Throughout my experience of gathering knowledge on this subject, I noticed a severe lack of study about certain issues or actions that can be considered altruistic. One of the areas where I found the least study was regarding actions that were done after death or actions that resulted in the death of the altruist. A prime example of what I am bringing up is organ donation. Being an organ donor is something someone can decide when they receive their driver’s license but it can be changed whenever the individual wants. There are a huge number of scholarly and opinion articles about organ donation, but that particular topic is not central to my argument. Another example of what I was talking about are instances where the individual sacrifices him- or herself for the sake of others. Roy Benavidez was an American soldier who fought in the Vietnam war. He received the medal of honor for an instance called “six hours in hell.” He fought off thousands of Vietnamese soldiers while defending a position where other American troops were getting evacuated by helicopter. He also carried multiple bodies to the helicopter, all while receiving multiple wounds. He waited until he was the last soldier to get on. These are of course some extreme examples of what I want to focus on. I propose that in future research projects a new category of altruism needs to be considered, since it doesn’t seem that organ donation and self-sacrifice fit in any of the previously-discussed categories. Organ donation and sacrificing yourself for the sake of others are cases of extreme empathy and altruism that I do not believe fall under the current umbrella terms. Perhaps by looking into these extreme situations, researchers can define a new type of altruism and get a better understanding of what the driving force behind actions such as these are. 

Some counter-arguments for my idea can be found. Arguments could be made that even though those situations are extreme they can still be classified by other terms. Organ donation, for example, could be viewed as signaling: trying to show that you are a good person by being an organ donor. My response to this is that most of the time being an organ donor is a small mark on the individuals’ license and is not a thing that is often brought up in social situations. Further research would have to be conducted solely on the topic of organ donation to better understand where it fits in the puzzle of human altruism. An individual who does a drastic action to better the chance of survival for others at the cost of their own physical well-being could also be misclassified. Some counter-arguers could claim that even though those actions are extreme they still fall under kin selection. Kin selection could be a good umbrella for these types of self-sacrificing action. The idea of sacrificing yourself for the better biological health of others does fall under the definition of kin selection, but I still propose that there is more to it. Kin selection normally contains things such as grooming in primates, sacrificing some food for bats, or some kind of warning cry to alert the group. Hardly ever are instances observed in other animals of individuals sacrificing themselves for others, except of course parental units defending their offspring. Egotistical altruism could be claimed for both of them as by doing either act it would directly positively affect other people’s lives and indirectly make the world a better place. My response to that argument is this: true, the world would be a better place, but it comes at the cost of the life of the altruist so therefore the betterment does not affect them. Perhaps if you combine egotistical and kin selection it could make sense as you want to make the world a better place for your offspring or other close friends or family. I still believe that further research needs to be conducted on these issues as they have not been researched as they should be. I propose the research can be conducted by investing time, personal, and perhaps some resources into conducting a wide mass study on the mindset of those who are organ donors or those who have performed extreme actions of sacrifice. Better understanding the mindset of those individuals and what their reasoning was in those instances would give us a better understanding of the reason for those actions: whether biological or psychological.  Better understanding the reason humans perform altruistic acts is the first step to better understand the origin and reason why humans are altruistic.

Throughout this research paper I have taken a look into the discourse of altruism. I have looked at the various different terms and types of altruism, resulting in the words having a trickle effect of coverage. The literature on altruism is quite large, with many different ideas and hypotheses on the reason why humans have altruistic tendencies and what the origin of it is - if it is biological or psychological. Richard Dawkins has a theory that its origin sits upon the selfish gene concept. The selfish gene concept is the idea that the reason humans are altruistic is due to selfish gene desires. Our genes desire to reproduce and survive so with that desire they produce altruism to better help the survivability of the gene. The other argument was the reason humans are altruistic is due to the logical evolutionary development of humans. An opposing argument claimed that being altruistic was the best course of action for survivability. Human society has advanced in an extremely short time, genetically speaking, so some tendencies that don’t fit modern society have remained in our species. One biological tendency we still have in our current social environment is the desire to engage in sexual intercourse. With contraceptives we have thwarted the purpose of sexual intercourse (to reproduce offspring) and yet humans still have the desire and biological push. It is proposed that altruism is much like that: that we had to have the biological push to be altruistic to better enhance our species survivability and that is a leftover genetic misfire today. 

My own argument for this paper was to invest further research into different ideas of altruism as there are actions that I do not believe fall under any current idea of altruism. It is my thought that if further research is conducted on altruism it will lead to a better understanding of the reasons we feel altruistic tendencies, possibly helping to crack the biological puzzle of why are we altruistic. 

Sources 

Andy80o, “Richard Dawkins on Altruism and The Selfish Gene”. Youtube, September 1st, 2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8C-ntwUpzM&feature=youtu.be.

Burnham, Terence C., and Dominic D. P. Johnson. “The Biological and Evolutionary Logic of Human Cooperation.” Analyse & Kritik, vol. 27, no. 1, Jan. 2005. OneSearch, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/auk-2005-0107

Darwin, Charles. On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favored Races in the Struggle for Life. 1 ed., 1859

Hoffman, Edward, et al. “The Psychological Benefits of Receiving Real-Life Altruism.” Journal of Humanistic Psychology, vol. 60, no. 2, Mar. 2020, pp. 187–204. EBSCOhost, DOI:10.1177/0022167817690280.   

Joan B. Silk, and Bailey R. House. “The Evolution of Altruistic Social Preferences in Human Groups.” Philosophical Transactions: Biological Sciences, vol. 371, no. 1687, 2016, p. 1. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsjsr&AN=edsjsr.24768660&site=eds-live.

Kurzgesagt. “A selfish Argument for Making the World a Better Place - Egoistic Altruism.” Youtube, March 18th, 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvskMHn0sqQ&feature=youtu.be. 

Marsh, Abigail A. “Neural, Cognitive, and Evolutionary Foundations of Human Altruism.” WIREs: Cognitive Science, vol. 7, no. 1, Jan. 2016, p. 59. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edb&AN=112128886&site=eds-live.

Ramsey, Grant. “Can Altruism Be Unified?” Studies in History and Philosophy of Biol & Biomed Sci, vol. 56, Apr. 2016, pp. 32–38. EBSCOhost, DOI:10.1016/j.shpsc.2015.10.007.

Singer, Peter. TED. “Peter Singer: The why and how of effective altruism.” Youtube, May 20th, 2013, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Diuv3XZQXyc&feature=youtu.be

TEDx Talks. “The Science of Altruism | Dustin Daniels | TEDxFSU” Youtube, June 29th, 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brqg4HA3mUI&feature=youtu.be. 

[dxsole]

Perhaps a year or two ago he would have brushed her off, but from the advice of his partner, he’s been attempting to learn to socialize a little better with the public. It did make sense when he really thought about it; how can he properly protect anyone if he brushes off every conversation directed at him? 

It’s just good bedside manner, Ray had told him

We’re not doctors, Lochlan had retorted. But he eventually relented. Ray was his senior after all.

“I wanted to be a cowboy.” It’s said firmly, seriously. Don’t mock the validity of his dreams, Mary. “No, they’re not; varmints and cattle-rustlers are lawbreakers. A cowboy is a simple man...taking care of his land and his cattle and his horses. It’s a very honorable lifestyle.”

dxsole​:

Lochlan stares at her, gaze seemingly vacant as his mind wandered off— what would he do if he…wasn’t a detective? Not even a beat cop? 

He looks uncomfortable for a brief moment, not liking the idea of not being on the force…but… “There is…one thing I wanted to be…when I was younger.” And it’s clear by how he hesitates that he’s not one for opening up. His heart was an airtight tuna can, you would literally have carve it open to get something personal out of it.

“…When I was a boy I wanted to be a cowboy.” He still sort of does. “The open range…the last patch of unadulterated American landscape. Maybe one day. If they ever convince me to retire.”

Mary fully expects him to tell her to mind her own business, to think about something important, to not be so ridiculous. His hesitation to say anything at all definitely seems to point to that reaction, but she’s more than surprised when he actually responds with a real answer. “A cowboy? Huh. I didn’t think people actually wanted to be one of those.” Or still brought the idea to adulthood. “Aren’t cowboys sort of the opposite of the law?”

[dxsole]

What if they kissed? (Lochlan)

😚 WHAT IF THEY KISSED? | Still Accepting!

He never does this. In fact, if he was a bit more sober, he might mention it; he never does this. Not even at Pride— partially because he's a bit hypervigilant and likes to keep his wits about him, focusing in on the procession and those around him. One never knows when one has to spring into action.

It's also because Lochlan, despite finally finding his comfort in his own sexuality, has yet to become perfectly comfortable with...being forward. Flirting. Being in any way vulnerable with another human being.

It was certainly possible, but he's usually too guarded to actually allow it to happen.

Except for, apparently, when he's downed a beer or two and a man with a handsome smile and a shirt louder than the music around them keeps looking at him like that. It's all loud talking, trying to be heard over the other people around until one of them suggests they should go outside for some air.

He can't seem to recall which of them actually suggested it or if it was something of a silent understanding that the pub, although nice, was not the best place to hold a conversation...or canoodle.

Calloused hands rest on the other's waist, keeping him perhaps a bit too close for a conversation— is it a conversation? Lips brushed against each other, and nervous but excited laughter was shared between them before they finally connected. And then he's digging in, unsure what exactly he's grabbing for; maybe he's just holding on for dear life.

He needs it, mainly because on top of doing something spontaneous for once (which is uncharacteristic of him), he's also painfully self-aware. Teeth lacked together from overeagerness and he worries. His lips part for more and he worries. His head tilts to deepen the kiss and press against the other and he worries— he's too in his head when all he wants is to desperately enjoy this warm feeling that rushes through him.

"Mmm—" Kiss breaks and Gordy smiles, a bit breathless and pinker in the cheeks than he was a moment ago. Lochlan thinks he looks cute. "Was that—" Too much? Not enough? He feels prompted to apologize for something. Perhaps his own stiffness, he knows he's a little...rigid.

Gordy's waist is given a small squeeze. "Was that alright? I'm usually not this...forward."

[dxsole]

@sailorvinus​​  | Liked For A Starter

“You know Ray is thinking about retiring soon.” It’s said casually as he flips through the morning’s newspaper— Virote may have a number of sources online to keep him up to date but, of course, Lochlan found comfort in his old fashioned ways. The news he just dropped, however, was not comforting in the slightest. “He has his girls and they’ve...you know, they grew up barely seeing him and he’s been thinking it’s time.” Ray was his first partner on the force and Lochlan’s senior; meaning he tended to take the reigns in an investigation but also that Lochlan trusted him with his life as a co-worker and as a friend.

“It may not be this year but...soon. And then I’ll be...I’ll be the senior partner.” It’s a slight bump in position. Nothing as glamorous as being Chief but certainly something that Lochlan felt ready to take on. “I’ll have some new junior detective to train and teach...it’ll be...it’ll be good. Don’t you think?” He glances up from his paper now and it’s clearly he needs an answer.

An answer that reminds him that this was a good thing. A growth thing. And not him losing a friend. 

[dxsole]

" you... sorry, you just got a little something on your face... here, let me get it for you. " lochlan. :)

🍧 HE’S BLUE RASPBERRY FLAVORED 🍧

Not Accepting.

“Hm?” Lochlan, with all his stoicism and seriousness, could be so wonderfully oblivious sometimes. Well, in his defense, there’s not a mirror around to let him know that his lips and a bit of his cheek were smeared with blue syrup from his snow cone. 

It was a sweltering day and he’s going at his icy treat like nobody’s business; messes were bound to be made. “Something?” He paws at his cheek, missing the mark and eventually leaning into Virote’s rising hand. His lip quirks into a quick, embarrassed little smile as Vi helps him out. “Thank you very much...it might happen again, however...” He gently raises his cone. “This is delicious even if it’s not a real fruit flavor.”

[dxsole]

“ i want to go home. “ lochlan. they went to an italian restaurant filled with jersey shore guido tourists. everyone's yelling about spaghetti and spray tans. he's in hell!!!

🍝 DON'T BE UPSETTI 🍝

Not Accepting.

Italian food. It had been a good idea once, long before they stepped into this brick-paved nightmare where the scent of marinara was slowly being overpowered by the scent of hair gel. Ew.

Not even the flaky, fresh-baked bread left on their table could turn this night around—

"Let's...get the check. And leave. Immediately. The guy behind me keeps talking about how he's stealing cable from his neighbor and— look at me," He holds up his hand. It shakes a little, which is still a far cry from Lochlan's usual steadiness. "If we stay here too long and he continues to blatantly confess to theft, I don't know if I could hold back from causing a scene."

Let him cause a scene Virote. Let him have this. Let him put Pauly D here in a small interrogation room and make him pee a little.

[dxsole]

Neither of them having a very good day, are they? Swift was left drinkless and stuck behind the world’s crankiest cop and Lochlan was stuck between his desire the uphold the law and his desire to let Swift do his own thing...go right ahead! Take the first step! All unarmed and very easy to kill in a hail of bullets from the opposition! Sure thing!

Swift is grabbed by the shoulder and very firmly pushed led to stand besides Lochlan. “Better? Do you need anything else? Fuzzy slippers? Perhaps a shiatsu?” Lochlan’s leaning on the back entrance to the club, door slamming open— the entry’s clear but Lochlan’s suspicious of everything, even the darkness. “Go. Quietly. Slowly. You see or hear anything out of the ordinary, you drop. Understood?”

dxspereaux· :

Lochlan looks back at him; oh, if looks could kill, Swift would be disintegrated right now. Lochlan, obviously, takes his position of serving and protecting the public very intensely and takes any threat to protocol as seriously as treason. 

“Probably due to insubordination.” He mutters, his gun being drawn, settling himself in tactical position— Granted, he’s envisioning himself as Dirty Harry but he’s being 100% professional about it. “If you’re going to talk can you at least make it relevant to the case and not your short stint as a productive member of society.”

           Swift smiles winningly in response to the death glare. “Ya know what they say, Tracey : when you ASSUME , ya make an ass of you & –  HUH , I guess it’s really just YOU … ” His amusement is short - lived, though. If Swift were doing this HIS way, he’d be in the club with a drink in his hand by now, so waiting outside is making him both ANTSY & THIRSTY .            “How’s THIS for relevance : you’re blockin’ my VIEW , ” he switches gears, “Can’t fuckin’ HELP if I can’t fuckin’ SEE , ya know ? ”

[dxsole]

[ LONG ] : your muse gives mine a long kiss; aka a make out session. | lochlan. :')

😘 BOW CHICKA WOW WOW 😘

Not Accepting.

Making out in a car; it was one of those youthful pleasures that he had missed out on. It wasn’t due to lack of trying either, but that early sense of identity that he had not quite understood. His friends had all had stories of getting handsy behind the bleachers with girlfriends and Lochlan had never really...cared for it. He assumed it just wasn’t for him.

Right now, however, it felt very, very much him. So much so that he’s smiling against Virote’s lips. They were so close to the house too, just parked in the garage still, the pair having plans to go out to see a much anticipated show— Lochlan is always on time and thus was planning to leave an hour early to secure their seats...but it had been incredibly hard to ignore how stunning Vi looked. Granted, he always tended to stun but the plunging backline and the way Vi would glance over his shoulder at him...it proved to be too much.

A kiss and compliment should do it, right? Apparently not because the two end up pressed against the car until Virote pulls away first, “Should we go inside?” He breathes and Lochlan has to take a moment to think. 

“We’ve...we’ve got tickets and...we’ve got tickets.”

“Backseat? Just for a little while?” The compromise hangs heavy in the air between them before Lochlan’s nodding, shrugging, agreeing as nonchalantly as he could. We can afford to leave a little later, he tells himself as he kisses Virote again, mouths molding together and momentarily stifling any protests either of them had about potentially ruining their evening. No one will care if our clothes are a little wrinkled, he thinks as Virote’s hands slide under the jacket of his suit or idly tug at his tie. 

It’s only when they end, their hard breathing punctuated by soft sighs and hums, does he appreciate what’s just occurred here. Lochlan Tracey’s made out in the backseat of a car like some horny teenager. With Virote Srisati, no less. He smiles, a rare occurrence even now, “We’ve got to go,” He’s always the voice of reason, isn’t he? “But we should...we should do that again sometime.”