[UA] IC Sabotage, the Nice Guy, and What Women Want (spoilers)

[James O'Rance]

I think it would be possible for a clued-in individual to channel an 
archetype spoecifically for the purposes of ascending and then sabotaging it 
in the IC. I don't know if this has been discussed before.

Such an individual would need to be a natural actor (or deceiver) in order 
to channel a naturally opposed archetype without breaking taboo, and would 
probably need to compartmentalise a lot, but if he could live the lie, then 
he might be able to ascend as an archetype that he personally is opposed to, 
and eliminate its true effect in the IC.


Personal example: I am regularly called "evil" by some of my best friends. 
I'd really rather that they didn't, but they are mostly being funny, so I 
don't make a fuss. On the other hand, people I don't interact with on a 
weekly basis seem to think I'm a Nice Guy - Ruanne even says it with the 
capitals. A cynic might suggest that I'm simply on my best behavior with 
these folks, but if I were a UA character rather than a real person, there'd 
be a more interesting possibility.


It has been stated on multiple occasions that what an avatar believes isn't 
really important. It's how he acts - whether his actions reflect the 
archetype, and whether he breaks taboo.


SO it is possible that you'd have a very calculating, cruel, malevolent 
person who chennels the Nice Guy archetype. Why would he do that? So he can 
become a Godwalker, boot the current Nice Guy and ascend, and then get up to 
all sorts of malarky.

While you probably can't break taboo as an actual archetype, this evil Nice 
Guy might be able to completely undermine the meaning of the archetype, 
transforming it in all but name. For example, let's say that the current 
Nice Guy ascended as an archetype of the non-threatening, "one of us girls" 
sensitive new age man. His channels are things like Be Just Friends With 
Pretty Women, and his taboo is taking advantage of people.


So eventually some evil Scorpio comes along, who's twin nature as a 
self-control freak and a secret squirrel allow him to perfectly pretend to 
be a Nice Guy without breaking taboo, whilst having secret ulterior motives. 
He boots the current archetype (who gets Renunciated into a right prick?) 
and becomes a new Nice Guy: one with an ulterior motive. Suddenly, there 
aren't any nice guys anymore; they all turn out to be liars.

This could happen to most archetypes, I suppose - it's like an act of 
espionage and terrorism against the IC.


What are the current Nice Guy's weapons against this? He can't really do 
anything offensive; it's not in his nature. Instead, he's better off trying 
to support a friendlier Godwalker.

Ladies and gentlemen, "What Women Want" is a UA movie. Stop reading now if 
you don't want the film to be spoiled.  ;)


Mel Gibson's character is clearly not a Nice Guy. Yet, when he happens to be 
trying a variety of feminine products, he suddenly gets zapped by 
electricity and gains the power to hear female thoughts.

This is the IC at work - specifically, the Nice Guy archetype. The NG took 
the symbolic feminising of a male chauvinist as an opportunity to grant him 
an avatar channel, which Mel managed to use as an opportunity to act like 
the Nice Guy.

Although he was trying to take advantage of this at first, what Mel believes 
isn't important - it's how he acts. He builds up his Avatar: Nice Guy skill, 
and soon he actually starts to feel like one. By the end of the film, Mel 
loses this telepathy channel (another IC intervention) but manages to 
understand a woman's pain regardless and support her - just what he needed 
to push him into the Godwalker position.

Hurrah! The niceness of the Nice Guy is saved!


Cheers,


James O’Rance
“Divine being creates petting zoo. It gets out of hand.”
- The Bible (summarised by John W. Mangrum)

http://www.dragonlance.com/taladas
http://www.geocities.com/dragon-dreamer/







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