NIETZSCHE; DEAD PHILOSOPHERS' INBOX

[explosivecombat]

[TEXT; LOCKED TO doitrockapella]

The offer for conversation is always open, should you desire to take me up on it; I can't guarantee that I'll respond immediately, nor will it necessarily be the response you want, but I'll always respond in some way.

In the name of enlightened discourse.

Comments

[explosivecombat]

I said that I could understand what you were saying, not necessarily that I agree with it; what you're providing is a purely intellectual viewpoint on killing and war - and while I won't say that such things have no place in discussion, nor will I say there's no merit behind them, somehow I doubt the individuals actively being slaughtered on a field of battle will pause to consider whether or not they're being victimized by some sort of abuse of power.

That's why I believe it doesn't matter, in the end.

[doitrockapella]

And yet a person turned into a slow-acting walking time bomb will have more time to pause and contemplate any number of horrors than one who dies in a different way, won't they? To say nothing of the fact that it might make plenty of difference to the survivors, or to the civilian people whose government is allowing and implicitly condoning those actions in the first place.

But I honestly don't want to debate killing and war with you. I answered because you asked for my thoughts, but my thoughts are my own, and no matter how entitled I am to them, that doesn't mean I'm justified in pontificating on a subject that I really have no right to speak with authority about.

[explosivecombat]

Arguably, war and killing are topics that no one should pontificate on; I've heard many who would presumably be considered justified in doing so that really shouldn't have opened their mouths in the first place, what they had to offer was so unproductive.

However, I'm willing to respect your unwillingness to discuss it, as it were - though justified or not, I do appreciate your answering the question to begin with. As you said, I did ask, after all.

[doitrockapella]

No wonder I like you. You're occasionally considerate.

[explosivecombat]

I would appreciate that knowledge not reaching the general public; I do have a reputation to maintain and all.

[doitrockapella]

I wouldn't worry. As insufferable as you can be at times, you're still my secret.

[explosivecombat]

You really do like toying with that rhetorical audience of ours, don't you?

[doitrockapella]

Not really.

But it's better than being frustrated with you.

[explosivecombat]

Arguably, this relationship of ours wouldn't exist were it not for the occasional bout of frustration, would it?

Admittedly, "frustration" may be too light a term for what it was when it started, but you get the idea.

[doitrockapella]

The occasional bout of frustration is fine — just like the occasional hardship is healthy in helping someone learn and grow.

But they do say too much of something isn't good for you.

[explosivecombat]

I've never really had a good eye for moderation, from what I've been told.

I've also been told it's a tremendous character flaw, though I've never seen it as such. To each their own, really.

[doitrockapella]

To be fair, there's likewise a saying: everything in moderation — including moderation.

You know that's just begging me to ask about your vices, don't you?

[explosivecombat]

Fortunate that I'm not opposed to discussing them, then. What, exactly, are you wanting to ask?

[doitrockapella]

Do you have any relatively mundane ones?

I specify only because I'm not particularly in the market for a resurrection of discussions of war casualties and unpleasant ways to die.

[explosivecombat]

Well, since coming here I seem to have picked up quite the gambling habit, though I don't know how much that counts as a vice because apparently my luck is nigh-on godly when it comes to slots. If anything, the casino floor is one of the few places where my luck isn't awful; otherwise, it ranges from "fairly bad" to "oh, that's just unfortunate, isn't it."

When I was younger, I tended to drink quite a bit; during that period of time after my recruitment into the military but before I actually saw combat, I tended to go out to bars quite a bit. I don't drink at all at this point, however; I'm aware that I don't have any restraint, and I prefer to have my wits about me nowadays.

I can't live without caffeine, and require at least two cups of black coffee before anyone can even talk to me in the morning. I'm incredibly vain and have certain things I have to do regarding my appearance before seeing anyone. Apparently I overspend when I'm stressed; if I'm not overspending, I'm overworking myself.

There are others, really, though they fall more under the category of bad habits than vices.

[doitrockapella]

Rich, hardworking, well-groomed, and a teetotaler-slash-coffee addict. If I didn't know better, I'd think you were trying to provoke me into setting off our rhetorical audience again.

[explosivecombat]

If that's how you'd like to see all of that, then believe me, I certainly won't stop you.

Anything else you're curious about?

[doitrockapella]

For the record, it's the vanity I find the most refreshing.

You were going to tell me your favorite Pokemon at some point, weren't you?

[explosivecombat]

I don't have a favorite as far as species themselves go, really; if I had to choose one, however, I'd say Ninetales - I'm rather partial to one I raised.

[doitrockapella]

Was it your starter?

[explosivecombat]

No, but I had him for so long that he might as well have been; he was one I purchased shortly after I arrived here the first time.

He was horribly spoiled; he had a tendency to steal things like chocolate from me, and he whined incessantly for quite some time after he evolved because I refused to pick him up due to the change in size. But he was also loyal to no one but me, he was strong in battle and generally a decent source of protection and companionship, even if he would complain about being expected to offer said protection if it meant waking him up.

[doitrockapella]

I think you should've picked him up anyway.

Did you lose him, the way you and your best friend lost your cats?

[explosivecombat]

After a while, he seemed to content himself with the knowledge that he was more or less the only one of mine that was allowed on the bed.

And no, I don't seem to have - he managed to find his way to that foster home in Goldenrod, along with another of my Pokémon that I purchased at the same time.

[doitrockapella]

What a smart boy. I'm glad to hear he's all right.

Legitimately glad, for the record, lest that come off as an empty bit of courtesy.

[explosivecombat]

If I had to take a guess, I'd say you don't seem the sort to offer empty courtesy in the first place.