The dim, fluorescent lights flicker above as you walk through the narrow corridor, the echo of your shackled feet bouncing off the cold, concrete walls. You're a man who's made mistakes—sure, who hasn't? But as the heavy metal door clanks shut behind you, sealing off the muted daylight, you can't help but wonder if those mistakes truly warrant this harsh dehumanizing reality. "Step right up, fresh meat!" a voice calls out, dripping with mocking cheer. It's a rough welcome, and it comes from a burly inmate with a scar trailing down his cheek. He's leaning against the bars of his cell, a smirk playing on his lips. You keep walking, trying not to meet the gaze of the other inmates, each of whom watches you with a mix of curiosity and appraisal. The guard behind you, a tall woman with a stern face, gives you a push. "Move along," she says, her voice firm and unkind. As you reach your cell, the door swings open with an ominous creak. The space inside is small, the air stale. A thin mattress lies on a metal frame, and a small window high up lets in just a sliver of light. You step inside, and the door slams shut with a finality that sends a shiver down your spine. "Hey, neighbor," comes a voice from the cell next to yours. You look over to see a young man with a friendly face, his hair a tangled mess. "Don’t let the bastards get you down. Name’s Danny." You nod, unsure of how to respond. Your throat feels tight, your stomach in knots. Danny seems to sense your discomfort and chuckles softly. "Yeah, it's a lot to take in. But you'll find your rhythm here. We all do." That night, as you lie on the hard mattress, the sounds of the prison wrap around you—the distant clanging of doors, the soft murmur of voices, the restless shifting of bodies. You close your eyes and think back to the world outside, to the life you once had. The mistakes that led you here begin to replay in your mind, each one a sharp stab of regret. But amidst the noise and the harsh reality of your new environment, you make a silent vow. You're not just going to survive here; you're going to find a way to live, really live, even behind these bars.>>Keep a Low Profile: Stay out of trouble by avoiding conflicts and not drawing attention to yourself. This might mean keeping your head down and observing the prison dynamics before making any moves.>>Build Respect: Earn the respect of fellow inmates by standing firm when challenged, yet respecting the unwritten rules of the prison.>>Plan an Escape: Although risky, if escape is on your mind, it involves observing guard patterns, securing tools, and possibly forming a pact with other inmates for a coordinated effort.>>Seek Rehabilitation: Engage in educational programs, work assignments, or therapy sessions available in the prison.>>Develop a Routine: Establish a daily routine that includes physical exercise, reading, writing, or other activities that maintain mental and physical health.
>>6000143>>Build Respect: Earn the respect of fellow inmates by standing firm when challenged, yet respecting the unwritten rules of the prison.This could be cool, maybe get a female guard on our side too
>>6000143>>Plan an Escape: Although risky, if escape is on your mind, it involves observing guard patterns, securing tools, and possibly forming a pact with other inmates for a coordinated effort.
>>6000143>>Keep a Low Profile: Stay out of trouble by avoiding conflicts and not drawing attention to yourself. This might mean keeping your head down and observing the prison dynamics before making any moves.
>>6000143>>Keep a Low Profile: Stay out of trouble by avoiding conflicts and not drawing attention to yourself. This might mean keeping your head down and observing the prison dynamics before making any moves.If you are going to build respect, we hsve to understand the dynamics first
>>6000143>>>Keep a Low Profile: Stay out of trouble by avoiding conflicts and not drawing attention to yourself. This might mean keeping your head down and observing the prison dynamics before making any moves.
>>6000154>>6000164>>6000186>>6000332>>6000396>>Keep a Low ProfileAs the days blend into one another under the harsh glare of the prison lights, you learn the rhythms of this confined world—the guards' shifts, the chow times, the silent codes exchanged between inmates. You keep your interactions brief, your posture non-threatening. The prison, with its cold indifference, seems designed to strip you of your humanity, reducing everyone to mere numbers and routines. You've seen fights break out over trivial matters, seen men dragged to solitary for less. The thought constantly gnaws at you—do you really deserve this? You're here for your mistakes, sure, but the punishment feels disproportionate, more about inflicting suffering than fostering any sort of change. On a particularly tense afternoon, the mess hall buzzes with a restless energy. You're picking at your food when the silence is shattered by the burly inmate, the one with the scar, his voice booming across the room. "Hey! You there, keeping to yourself all the time. Think you're better than us?" His challenge cuts through the murmur, drawing eyes from every corner. You pause, fork mid-air, heart pounding. This is the kind of moment you've been dreading. Standing up slowly, you face him. The room holds its breath. "I don't think I'm better than anyone," you reply, your voice steady despite the adrenaline. "Just trying to do my time, man. No trouble." He scoffs, stepping closer. The tension mounts. "Sounds like coward talk to me. Prove you're not just hiding behind those words." You glance around. The guards are watching, indifferent. You know how this goes—fight and you're in the hole, avoid it and you might look weak. It's a lose-lose, yet there has to be a way out.>>Fight>>Try to talk your way out
>>6000508>>Try to talk your way outThe moment he touches us though…
>>6000143Absolutely adore your use of imagery in the short story you provided. I could see the smirk and the guy with the scar down his face glaring at you & the natural sounds of prison. The end is pretty cool too. " [ .. ] really live, even behind these bars." Do they allow inmates to use computers at a prison?"A body with a heart is home." - ???This is nowhere comparable but I was in County Jail for 3 days and 3 nights a long long time ago for the most ridiculous reason. The caretaker called the cops on me for battery when I didn't even leave a bruise on her. I barely even touched her. I slept in a jail cell nude with a plastic blanket—one of the worst experiences in my life! Well worth it though.
>>6000508>Try to talk your way outNigga, we just playin, I'm from the hood man, don't get loco on me man, we good thug we good, we wearin the same colors young blood
>>6000508>Talk your way out:Ask him if he's going to finish the food on his tray. This makes him look unreasonable, thus reducing his tradability with other inmates, and commissary is where they flow of social power is at.
>>6000508>Try to talk your way outWe don't want to fight someone and add time to our sentence. I'll support this >>6000639 line of reasoning.
