[UA] Archetypes

[Stimson, Aaron]

Just to add a little tiny bit to Gareth's excellent reply:

3 things happen when society advances past the current form of an Archetype:

1) A new Ascension updates the archetype to a more relevant form: Knight ->
Executioner (as the UA book implies)

2) The Archetype calves due to expansion of its role: Bard -> Novelist, Bard
-> Rock Star, Bard -> Newscaster

3) The Archetype remains a core ideal, but since it is no longer emulated as
much, the ability to be an inobvious Avatar is compromised, and there are
less Avatars pursuing it: Mystic Hermaphrodite.

-----Original Message-----
From: gareth hanrahan [mailto:hanrahag at iol.ie]
Sent: Wednesday, December 22, 1999 8:12 AM
To: ua at lists.uchicago.edu
Subject: Re: [UA] Archetypes



>Another thought:
>
>What happens when society moves past needing the Archetype?  Do they
get
>booted out of the IC and through the HoR?

I'm not sure if society can escape an Archetype entirely. Once
someone's Ascended, they've basically made such an impact on the
statosphere that we'll never escape their influence entirely.

>Like, what if humanity was totally enslaved and The Masterless Man
couldn't
>exist anymore?

>Well, maybe that's a bad example....

It's a terrible example. That's prime territory for the Masterless
Man. Complete freedom would reduce the power of that Archetype
(current Archetype goes down, something like the Rebel without a
Cause goes up 'cos there are no Masters to rebel against).

>But, what if there were no more Dark Stalkers?  Or Merchants?

They'll always be there. While there are shadows under their bed and
psychos in the night, there will be Stalkers. As long as everything
isn't divided totally equally and people don't covet things, there
will be Merchants. While someone has authority that isn't totally
derived from wealth or status, there will be True Kings.

Once someone's Ascended, the Archetype is a part of humanity. We can
change its manifestation, but we are all fundamentally altered by the
ascension and can never totally escape it.


>-Twist

Gar
"You thought that you were the bomb
Yes well so did I" - Tori Amos, Spark



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