text; un: doctorziegler

[caduceusoncall]

[Angela hesitates to press send. This is a commitment.]

As many of you know, I am the afternoon shift doctor at the medical bay, Doctor Angela Ziegler. I have recently acquired the ability to perform a physical scan with magic. It's non invasive - just a simple wave of the hand. Completely painless, no touching involved.

If you have the chance, please stop by the medical bay for a scan so that I can cross-check and update your charts. I will try to occupy as little of your time as possible.

Additionally, please heed Jetshard's warnings of heatstroke and exhaustion during the upcoming heatwave. Don't hesitate to come to the medical bay if you are suffering the effects of heat exhaustion. If you suspect you are suffering from heat stroke, come in immediately.

Thank you for your cooperation.
- Doctor Ziegler

Comments

[caduceusoncall]

I'm afraid I cannot support that sort of behavior in any society, magical or not. Endangering children is simply unacceptable. I'm sorry you came from a world where such dangers are present.

[Children and the way they're effected by combat may be a sore subject for her...She can't keep the bite out of her text. Angela truly can't imagine wanting to return to such a world, where children are shoehorned into fighting and dying - throwing their lives away at a stage where they're too young to understand what they're doing.]

[At least, that's the way she sees it.]

[blackestwitch]

The flip side is also that the monsters in my world eat magic. So even if they choose not to fight or develop their powers, the mage children will end up attracting thaumivores to them.

It also means that people with little magic power, most people, tend to get overlooked and not get killed or eaten.

I really don't want to defend it though. Because it sucks. Nobody really looks into alternatives, and there's not enough support out there for the kids fighting in the first place.

[caduceusoncall]

So they have the choice of being defenseless or fighting for their lives. Again, my condolences that you had to experience such a world. Were you magically active yourself?

[blackestwitch]

No. I've had chances to actually talk with some mages, though. Famous ones, not so famous ones. My part-time job boss had some connections.

[caduceusoncall]

You must have had some interesting conversations. However, you mention that some are famous. Would being well-known as a mage not be a serious liability?

[blackestwitch]

They only fight monsters, so not really. But most of them keep secret identities anyway. I mentioned they transform, and that keeps most people in the dark.

Plenty of mages wind up being famous, even if only under their magical guise. Not only does the public follow the going-on of mages through news, social media, and dedicated websites, but there are even entertainment industries that are built around either getting mages to speak or perform for them, or actually recruiting mages to work as entertainers full-time.

[caduceusoncall]

[What she wants to say is that it's disgusting to exploit children who have no choice but to defend themselves with powers they never asked for for entertainment purposes. What she actually says is:]

I see.

A very unique way to adapt to circumstances, if nothing else.

1/2

[blackestwitch]

It's kind of messed up.

A couple of years back, there was a magical girl who signed up to be a singer because she had apparently wanted to be one and was willing to use being a mage to get her foot in the door. Which isn't terribly unusual, except the next part. There was a monster attack while she was working on a music video or something, she had to fight to protect the crew that was there, and she lost an arm.

Tragic, right? Like that's bad enough.

But then she gets sued by her employers for willingly putting herself in harm's way and damaging her marketability.

[blackestwitch]

Anyway the long and short of it is that while there might not be a better alternative to fighting thaumivores, people suck in general. Or adults, at least.

No offense.

[caduceusoncall]

No offense taken. I am inclined to agree with you.

But that situation is completely unacceptable to me. I cannot fathom a world in which that is okay to do to someone who has laid down so much to protect the innocent.

Furthermore, children should not be the ones protecting others. I understand that you do not seem to agree with your world's practices either, but I am simply baffled that any place could operate under such absurd conditions.

[blackestwitch]

People can accept anything, no matter how horrendous, when it becomes the status quo. As long as it doesn't affect them personally.

[caduceusoncall]

[This is honestly boiling her up inside.]

We will have to agree to disagree.