[ Action, Written ] .052

[markofthebrave]

[Filtered 100 percent AWAY from: Sokka, Toph, Zuko, Yue, Suki, Shikamaru, Chouji, Ino, Shino, Naruto, Sasuke, Itachi, Trafalgar, Nami, Sanji, Luffy, Chopper, and anyone else she thinks might recognize her handwriting, despite the pains she's going to in order to disguise it, or show the journal to people she really doesn't want to see this - Raine and Temari and Iroh.

All replies will be written unless stated otherwise. The camera is obscured by a wrapped around piece of brown cloth.]

Do you think that there's such a thing as a power that is wrong, not because of how it's used, but just because of what it does?

[After staying holed up in her room with the door shut - quite an unusual break of habit for her - Katara decides to head into town. She wants to check out that night club that she'd heard about - she heard there would be music!

From there it's the usual errands, like the grocery store and the Item Shop. Dinner tonight will be Something Spicy, but she hasn't figured out what yet. Maybe it'll help get Sokka out of his funk.]

Comments

[action]

[burningdownfate.livejournal.com]

[Mmmm, spicy. That smells good. Wandering into the kitchen now.]

That's almost ready, right?

[action]

[markofthebrave]

[She looks up at him and smiles.]

Yup! Want to set the table?

[action]

[burningdownfate.livejournal.com]

Can do. [And so, Zuko starts pulling plates out of the cupboards.] You were pretty quiet today.

[action]

[markofthebrave]

[Oh, come on. Points for lack of tact.]

I've been busy. What about you?

written/filtered

[stilldontgotit.livejournal.com]

That's a good question.

Some people might argue that any power can be used for good or bad. Even something like healing could be turned around if it was used on someone dangerous.

The power to take lives could be abused, but if it's used as a last resort, like self defense, I guess even that isn't exactly 'wrong'.

But people can justify just about anything.

written/filtered

[markofthebrave]

That's what I'm hearing. There are a bunch of people who think that power is just a tool. And then there are some people who think that there's a line power shouldn't cross and it becomes more than a tool. And I guess what I'm wondering now is if something has to be justified, doesn't it mean that it's wrong to begin with?

written/filtered

[stilldontgotit.livejournal.com]

I think it's the actions more than the power that are the problem. I've got close experience with forces most people would consider wrong and I've seen them used for good. Looking at blacks and whites is tricky because nothing's ever that simple.

[Like darkness. For the longest time, he thought it was bad, but then he learned to accept his.]

It's easy to say that the power to blow up entire cities is wrong, but even that can be used to protect in its own twisted way. But even if it can be used to help, that doesn't make it right, either.

Guess I'd draw the line at free will. Taking over someone's body or mind is hard to justify, no matter what circumstances.

But I've got personal experience with losing control, so who knows? Maybe I'm missing something.

written/filtered

[markofthebrave]

[No. Some things really are that simple. Aren't they?]

Why do you think something that takes over someone's mind or body is any different than any other power?

[written]

[calmyomind.livejournal.com]

I don't think so. That would imply that something is wrong just because it is, isn't it?

[written]

[markofthebrave]

That's what I'm asking, yes - if there are kinds of power that are wrong just because of what they do. So if I'm understanding you right, yes, that would imply that, and I think that's true.

[written]

[calmyomind.livejournal.com]

Are we referring to something naturally occurring, or developed by man?

[written]

[markofthebrave]

[She pauses to consider this. How to answer without giving too much away...]

I think the best way to say it would be that the power is naturally occurring but the ability is developed.

[Written/Filtered]

[justicereigns]

No. A power is a tool. You can get mad at a spade for digging up gardens, but that's what it does. There's a time and place for that too.

[Written/Filtered]

[markofthebrave]

[She's heard this a few times by now - she's surprised at how many people seem to cling to it.]

I don't think it's right to compare the power to compromise free will to a spade. It's not anywhere near the same thing.

[Written/Filtered]

[justicereigns]

Then don't use it.

There's a shichibukai -- legalized pirate -- in my world with the power to wrap people up in wires and puppet their movements. From what I remember, he gets a kick out of making friends kill each other. That's still him causing it, not the devil fruit power.

My smoke logia can completely immobilize people and hold them in a cloud of smoke. If I wanted to, it'd be a lot easier to choke them and kill them. I don't, however, that's my choice.

If someone had the power to stop someone's free will, there's still ways to use it such that doesn't go against their sense of justice. You could turn an enemy around and tell them to keep walking. The ability alone isn't evil, it's what you do with it. And yes, it really is that simple.

[Written/Filtered]

[markofthebrave]

[Well, that's both patronizing and through. She's not trying to convince anyone here. She's just trying to gather opinions. And that about does it.]

I understand. Thank you for your time. I appreciate you sharing your opinion.

[ action ]

[endgames]

[On her way back to the Avatar House, Katara is bound to run into a ninja walking back in the direction of town. His eyes are on the sky at first, but his attention shifts the moment he senses someone coming, stopping when he sees who it is.]

Hey. There you are.

[ action ]

[markofthebrave]

[Katara shifts her grocery back to her hip, offers him a smile.]

Hey, Shikamaru. Were you looking for me?

[You could have journaled. Because, dude, she'd know if you had. She'd been in her room for hours on the thing.]

[ action ]

[endgames]

[Pssh. He rarely talks to his friends on the journals - an announcement, or to let Chouji if they need something at the store, maybe. If he really wants to talk to a friend, first he tries to track them down.]

Yeah. It's been a while, so I thought I'd stop by. [She said she had something to tell him, too... but with the draft, he thought he'd give her more time.] Glad I caught you after all.

Need help with that?

[It's just one bag, but it's a long walk from the store to her house.]

[written]

[alabastajewel]

[Vivi has to think a bit about the question before answering, and even then she doesn't feel completely certain.]

It's a difficult question, but in some rare cases...yes, I think that may be so.

[written]

[markofthebrave]

What kind of cases?

[written]

[alabastajewel]

Something that can only cause harm, I suppose. Certainly most things can be used for good or bad, but there are some things that only a villain would dare to use.

[Written]

[so_shik]

Yes. Yes. [Don't mind her, she was going to try and reason her way into thinking maybe certain powers aren't terrible, but she comes from a place where someone she knows has the power to manipulate and destroy the whole world if it's not to his liking. That's pretty terrible.]

But isn't that the point of someone's conscious? Telling a person with those powers how to use them so they don't seem as bad as they are?

[Written]

[markofthebrave]

So you're saying that it depends on how the person uses it, even if the power is bad?

[Written]

[so_shik]

Yes.

Say for instance that you're in a place like Luceti. Okay well I mean you are but...okay well. A place like this brings together a bunch of people from different worlds and that means that not everyone is familiar with all of the powers people possess. If a person's only familiar with a power based on what they see from another person, how are they going to know it's a bad power? Does that make sense?