text; anonymous

[corruptedsave]

[Chara has been off living out on the streets of Avalon, or in the woods, since their fight with Asriel. They have replied to a few things here and there but now, they have a question of their own.

Except they don't want it attached to their name, so going anonymous and text.]

Say you have a friend, but they're not the best kind of person. Like they've admitted to having hurt people, people close to you.

Would you be willing to forgive them for such a thing? If so, why? And if not, why?

Comments

text; un: anonymous

[corruptedsave]

And if they haven't done anything to be a better person?

Like, they're fine being a monster.

[peninhand]

That's a very different matter. If they plan on repeating their mistakes, they ought to be stopped.

And of course, you can't forgive someone who refuses to acknowledge they did anything bad.

I'd still reach out though if I really care for them... Like, if they're a friend that means I probably saw something in them in the first place, you know?

[corruptedsave]

Is it really a mistake if they can make it so that it never happened?

And would you really? They're not the nicest person after all, and they only are nice to you.

[peninhand]

Maybe they can make it so technically it never happened but so long as even one person remembers, it did happen. Even if your friend is the only one remembering, they're proof those events once happened.

It's starting to sound to me like they may have been gaslighting you... But I don't have enough information to judge.

Ever heard of the Ring of Gyges? It's a thought experiment by Plato, it deals with similar themes. It asks the question of whether a fair and just man who is given the ring would remain fair and just. See, the ring lets them become invisible. So they have the power to commit any crimes without anyone ever knowing he did them. The answer is that everyone could become a monster, were they granted the power of that ring.

In your situation, do you think you can pinpoint a moment when your friend changed because of external factors?

[corruptedsave]

No, I never heard of that experiment before.

And they probably changed when they died.

[peninhand]

They died?

Well, I guess you got your answer, ahaha... Dying and coming back to life(?) would change most people I think.

It sounds like they probably have a trauma of their own.

[corruptedsave]

Yeah, they died.

And coming back was easy, all things considered, so they don't have any issues with that.

[peninhand]

Death would still be a pretty traumatic experience.

You can trust me on that.

[ Believe it from someone who's technically died twice. ]

[corruptedsave]

They've died a lot, so they're used to it.

[So many resets.]

[peninhand]

[ ... ... ... ... There was something weird about the way they were talking about that friend of theirs. They wanted to know if said friend was worthy of forgiveness, right? And they knew... So many things. But even how often they'd died, how each of those deaths made them feel? Sure, their friend may have told them, but... Why be so affirmative about it? The friend could be lying to hide their true feelings, right?

This wasn't about a friend at all. ]

How do you know that?

[corruptedsave]

Because I've been through something similar.

[They're not worried about people figuring out they're talking about themselves, since they are anon, but they will still keep it up.]

[peninhand]

Well

I think your friend deserves a chance...

By the sound of it, they are questioning themselves.

[corruptedsave]

I don't know if they're questioning themselves, they seemed pretty sure of it when they admitted to doing all the bad stuff.

But I really don't think they deserve another chance.

[peninhand]

Listen.

I think you need help. So much self-loathing will only drag you further down. I know something about it.

[corruptedsave]

I'm fine.

[That's all they have to say about that.]

[peninhand]

You're not.

But you will discover it in your own time.

[corruptedsave]

I've been fine for a long long time, I don't need to discover anything.