Network - Audio - Open

[cuttypie]

Who: Luka Kovač
Username: un: 13371uk@
Warnings: None so far


[He know he's playing a dangerous game here. That's why he's on audio instead of video, in case he...slips up. Being an Avatar of the Stranger had both its benefits and its downsides, and sometimes he couldn't quite...help the way he looks, especially if he gets a whiff of fear. His voice is pleasant and perfectly normal, with a melodious Croatian accent.]

Hello everyone, this is Dr. Luka Kovač. If I haven't met you yet, I'm a doctor who specializes in emergency medicine.

Some things I still don't understand here, so maybe someone else might have some information or thoughts on it. I come from a world where you don't really see too much of the supernatural around, but here there are superpowers and superheros and terrifying things that happen all the time.

And I guess Avatars have the power to make those terrifying things happen, right? To feed the Entities? But what gives them that power?

I suppose what I was really wondering is that maybe some of the people we've encountered used to be good and then were corrupted, somehow. I'm a doctor, the first thing I look for is a way to treat the patient, maybe even so far as find a cure.

But is there a cure for an Avatar?

Comments

un: Aberration

[aelwyn_aberration]

It's not just Avatars that feed the entities, everyone does it. They feed off fear, it's just that Avatars are particularly loved by the entity they represent and chosen as a champion, and so they produce a lot more fear for their master.

Anyway. If there was a cure for being an Avatar, would you be able to stomach giving it to people who would refuse it at every turn?

[cuttypie]

["...it's just that Avatars are particularly loved by the entity they represent and chosen as a champion, and so they produce a lot more fear for their master."

That sentence rings out in his head over and over again and only makes the guilt worse. He clears his throat before talking again.]

What if that person that the Entity chose wasn't a bad person to begin with? Or maybe they made a choice trying to help people. Maybe they wouldn't always refuse the cure.

[This is all extremely hypothetical.

Of course.]

[aelwyn_aberration]

Nobody's bad to begin with.

[She's not even sure she believes that. She tries to, nowadays.]

It's mainly a question of when the point of no return is, isn't it? When do we move past rehabilitation and straight to punishment?

But that's philosophy, not practical in the slightest.

It seems like some Avatars are capable of being Avatars and retaining their morality, at least to an extent.

[cuttypie]

I feel like in most cases, in this world, everyone goes right to punishment. There doesn't seem to be any consideration for rehabilitation.

And that's what I was wondering. How much morality can an Avatar save? And how much can an Entity make them lose?

[aelwyn_aberration]

My personal belief is that either of them should be secondary to what's practical. Our job is to save lives and prevent the apocalypse. If someone is too far gone that trying to save them would just result in the deaths of dozens of others - if not the complete destruction of the world - then mathematically we need to prioritize getting rid of them as a threat over their own safety.

But I think ADI's black and white thinking about all Avatars is deeply stupid. We've already met Avatars that we could have saved but didn't because ADI is an organization run by idiots for idiots.

[The second part... hits close to home though.]

What differentiates the two, in your mind? The entity doesn't make you do anything. It always feels like your choice.

[cuttypie]

Mathematically, maybe, yes, but—

[He stops a moment before he gets too frustrated. He gets it, on one hand, but also it’s awful to think about—]

I’m a doctor. I do everything I can to save a patient.

[But he agrees with that.]

Exactly! Just think about all that knowledge about Entities and how Avatars work. Now it’s lost.

I mean corruption. It may feel like your choice—it may even be your choice, but it’s possible that exposure to the Entity erodes your will, erodes your morals.

[aelwyn_aberration]

Fair enough. I'm a wizard. We're a callous lot, by and large. And our focus is on understanding how it all works.

[She doesn't understand, but she's past the point of demanding that people see things her way. At least he's not jumping down her throat like Keith and Ren did.]

The Avatars we don't attempt to reason with or get onside are just going to go seek someone who will shelter them, and foster them into getting worse. It's a vicious cycle. They compare it to addiction but this doesn't even work with addicts either.

Others have said the same. [She purses her lip.] I don't quite agree, honestly. I think the more contact you have with them, the better it feels to feed, and everything else feels comparatively so dull. Your morality isn't something that's inherent. It's not a limb, it can't be taken away like that. It's just a belief. If you lose faith in it, that's probably because an alternative popped up that you liked better.