[BBS]

[corruptedsouls]

[Tobias has mostly been keeping to himself, his studies, and his family lately. With everything that's happened, he's really just wanted to introvert for a bit -- at least as much as he can with the people he cares about. But all this time, a question has been nagging at him. Bothering him. He's certainly not the naive child he was before, but some things he simply can't seem to understand.

Which is why he's turned to Garden for help.]

What makes a bad person "bad?" Is it when they hurt someone? Or destroy something? Or is just thinking about doing that enough to be bad?

And... why do bad people do those bad things?

[And yet, amidst this, there's something else on his mind.]

[PM to Marco]

Hey Dad? Why don't you and Mom have an egg?

Comments

[espio]

The people I am thinking of are incapable of regret. They see harming others as an achievement. They just want to show what they're capable of, and show their power. To them, the only thing that matters are themselves - even their family or their so-called friends mean nothing to them when it comes down to it.

If the person didn't mean it, or they regret it, or they try to redeem themselves, did it to help their families... they are just as capable of doing good as they are bad. They're hardly evil.

[corruptedsouls]

There really are people like that?

[He didn't want to think of it. Really not. But the second part... well, that comforts him some.]

That's good.

[espio]

Unfortunately, yes.

Most villains are really just nuisances rather than evil - comes with it being like a career choice, it attracts wannabes who can't really hack it - but there are some really nasty people out there.

[corruptedsouls]

[It takes a while for this post to come in.]

Why would anyone want to be evil?

[espio]

Reputation. To show off. Same reason there's a bunch of wannabe heroes, weirdly enough.

[corruptedsouls]

I don't understand.

[No big surprise there.]

[espio]

In simplest terms, they just want attention.

[corruptedsouls]

[...Oh. Oh.]

So they're kind of like me before I came back?

[espio]

Dunno. Maybe a little.

Anyway, I fight villains because they do bad things, but I don't necessarily think they're evil.

Evil would be Sidewinder, Super Sonic or Robotnik. And probably the Brotherhood of Metallix as well, but they're robots and can't really help the way their programming went.

[corruptedsouls]

So the villains you fight don't want to do bad things? Or want to make up for them?

[espio]

Not exactly. I mean they have the potential to change and do good - something a truly evil person can't do. They might change, and they might not.

[corruptedsouls]

So what do you do when they don't?

[espio]

Generally, they end up in police custody, go to trial, and are sentenced according to their crimes. Could be a period of unpaid work, they could be imprisoned for a certain length of time, or they might just have to pay a fine. Depends what they did.

If they keep causing harm to innocent people, then I will keep fighting to stop them.

[corruptedsouls]

What if they killed someone?

[espio]

Really, it would depend on the circumstances. It's different for things like accidents, loss of control, self-defense and such, but generally? Setting out to deliberately and maliciously take someone's life away would get someone life imprisonment.

[corruptedsouls]

What about accidents?

[espio]

I'm not a law student or anything, I just deal with active threats, but here's how I understand it:

It would depend on the circumstances of the accident. There'd probably still be a trial, to determine if it was an accident or not, and determine why and how it happened.

They would still be sentenced and probably face jail time, but it'd be at the judge's discretion based on the numerous factors involved - the point of a trial is to examine the case and evidence in detail and judge them fairly.

[corruptedsouls]

[...There doesn't seem to be a reply for that one. Something might have gone wrong, Espio.]

[espio]

[Hmm... Toby's answers were coming in fairly regularly. Maybe he just stepped away from the computer...? But they were in the middle of a conversation. It seemed a bit odd for Toby to stop answering.

Espio waits for a bit, then decides he can't be arsed to stare at a computer screen in the hopes of continuing a conversation with someone in the same building and sets off to go find Toby instead.]

[corruptedsouls]

[Tobias is easily found in his room, staring at the computer screen himself. He's... wanted to reply to that, but he hasn't been able to think of... well, anything to say there. With the reason he's been asking...

...Well.

Pikachu is the first to notice Espio's presence, flicking her ears in annoyance and making a "chaaaaa" at him.]

[action]

[espio]

'sup, rat?

[Espio leans in the doorway, inclining his head towards Pikachu in acknowledgement. That greeting loosely translates to "hello, small cute thing!" in Espio.]

You went quiet all of a sudden. Figured I'd come find out why.

[perma-action]

[corruptedsouls]

I'm sorry.

[He sounds troubles, and looks even worse so. Pikachu gives another noise, probably translating to something along the lines of "Hello stupid purple thing."]

Re: [perma-action]

[espio]

For what?

[Crosses the room and plonks himself on the bed next to him, not bothering to ask permission.]

Going quiet? You don't need to apologise. I was just... worried, I guess. Didn't think you'd drop out in the middle of a conversation.

[corruptedsouls]

I... I didn't know what to say. I don't... want to go to a trial.

[espio]

[Oh. OHHH. Suddenly, Espio has a very strong idea of what's wrong.]

You don't have to.