"It's in fact proving somewhat difficult for me to juggle the concepts of what you have no inkling about, if you're not Mariona and never were, or for that matter you're her but the memories are truly gone.  The missing headband is not in fact helping.  Of course Mariona wasn't given a good alternative to joining the Church of Asmodeus, and neither was I.  It's not considered a theological virtue of the Church of Asmodeus to give people attractive alternatives to serving Asmodeus.  She most certainly did have a choice -- she couldn't end up Lawful Evil and damned, if she was given literally no choices.  But the Church presented her with choices such that she, like most people in her position, ended up choosing to hurt a lot of other people over getting hurt herself, realizing her very ordinary and perfectly normal innate Evil in a form that Pharasma would damn her about.  It's possible that you're different, yourself, but if you've never been put in her position I wouldn't go congratulating yourself over the fact."

"It's also not considered a virtue to be stupid about whether or not you've successfully narrowed somebody's down alternatives that way, to believe you have them cornered when actually you don't.  That is what we would colloquially term Stupid Evil.  Not a formal alignment, per se, but the point is that Stupid Evil is importantly distinct from Lawful Evil.  If you, Merrin, didn't have a choice -- if it did not seem to me that you had, not only a choice, but perhaps alternatives that seemed potentially attractive to you -- I would not be offering to negotiate with you about it."

"I find it hard to imagine not knowing that Hell exists.  I suppose I can imagine finding it upsetting to learn that it's there, and that if you've chosen others getting hurt over yourself getting hurt, you are probably going there.  I will not be offended if you express that you would prefer to be on top of Hell rather than at the bottom of it; it's in fact conventional Asmodean theology to say that Asmodeus is the winner and we're the losers and that there's no morality to it beyond the fact that He is more powerful and the victor.  Being a grownup consists of accepting that this is the reality rather than whining about it, and making the best we can of the fact that Hell does exist; and rather a lot of devils are more powerful than us, and are going to want us to serve them, rather than them serving us.  If you can come to grips with this unpleasant fact faster by wearing the headband for a few more minutes, doing so sounds like it might save us both a lot of needless drama."

"It's in fact proving somewhat difficult for me to juggle the concepts of what you have no inkling about, if you're not Mariona and never were, or for that matter you're her but the memories are truly gone.  The missing headband is not in fact helping.  Of course Mariona wasn't given a good alternative to joining the Church of Asmodeus, and neither was I.  It's not considered a theological virtue of the Church of Asmodeus to give people attractive alternatives to serving Asmodeus.  She most certainly did have a choice -- she couldn't end up Lawful Evil and damned, if she was given literally no choices.  But the Church presented her with choices such that she, like most people in her position, ended up choosing to hurt a lot of other people over getting hurt herself, realizing her very ordinary and perfectly normal innate Evil in a form that Pharasma would damn her about.  It's possible that you're different, yourself, but if you've never been put in her position I wouldn't go congratulating yourself over the fact."

"It's also not considered a virtue to be stupid about whether or not you've successfully narrowed somebody's alternatives that way, to believe you have them cornered when actually you don't.  That is what we would colloquially term Stupid Evil.  Not a formal alignment, per se, but the point is that Stupid Evil is importantly distinct from Lawful Evil.  If you, Merrin, didn't have a choice -- if it did not seem to me that you had, not only a choice, but perhaps alternatives that seemed potentially attractive to you -- I would not be offering to negotiate with you about it."

"I find it hard to imagine not knowing that Hell exists.  I suppose I can imagine finding it upsetting to learn that it's there, and that if you've chosen others getting hurt over yourself getting hurt, you are probably going there.  I will not be offended if you express that you would prefer to be on top of Hell rather than at the bottom of it; it's in fact conventional Asmodean theology to say that Asmodeus is the winner and we're the losers and that there's no morality to it beyond the fact that He is more powerful and the victor.  Being a grownup consists of accepting that this is the reality rather than whining about it, and making the best we can of the fact that Hell does exist; and rather a lot of devils are more powerful than us, and are going to want us to serve them, rather than them serving us.  If you can come to grips with this unpleasant fact faster by wearing the headband for a few more minutes, doing so sounds like it might save us both a lot of needless drama."

"It's in fact proving somewhat difficult for me to juggle the concepts of what you have no inkling about, if you're not Mariona and never were, or for that matter you're her but the memories are truly gone.  The missing headband is not in fact helping.  Of course Mariona wasn't given a good alternative to joining the Church of Asmodeus, and neither was I.  It's not considered a theological virtue in Asmodeanism to give people attractive alternatives to serving Asmodeus.  Mariona most certainly did have a choice -- she couldn't end up Lawful Evil and damned, if she was given literally no choices.  But the Church presented her with choices such that she, like most people in her position, ended up choosing to hurt a lot of other people over getting hurt herself, realizing her very ordinary and perfectly normal innate Evil in a form that Pharasma would damn her about.  It's possible that you're different, yourself, but if you've never been put in her position I wouldn't go congratulating yourself over the fact."

"It's also not considered a virtue to be stupid about whether or not you've successfully narrowed somebody's alternatives that way, to believe you have them cornered when actually you don't.  That is what we would colloquially term Stupid Evil.  Not a formal alignment, per se, but the point is that Stupid Evil is importantly distinct from Lawful Evil.  If you, Merrin, didn't have a choice -- if it did not seem to me that you had, not only a choice, but perhaps alternatives that seemed potentially attractive to you -- I would not be offering to negotiate with you about it."

"I find it hard to imagine not knowing that Hell exists.  I suppose I can imagine finding it upsetting to learn that it's there, and that if you've chosen others getting hurt over yourself getting hurt, you are probably going there.  I will not be offended if you express that you would prefer to be on top of Hell rather than at the bottom of it; it's in fact conventional Asmodean theology to say that Asmodeus is the winner and we're the losers and that there's no morality to it beyond the fact that He is more powerful and the victor.  Being a grownup consists of accepting that this is the reality rather than whining about it, and making the best we can of the fact that Hell does exist; and rather a lot of devils are more powerful than us, and are going to want us to serve them, rather than them serving us.  If you can come to grips with this unpleasant fact faster by wearing the headband for a few more minutes, doing so sounds like it might save us both a lot of needless drama."

"It's in fact proving somewhat difficult for me to juggle the concepts of what you have no inkling about, if you're not Mariona and never were, or for that matter you're her but the memories are truly gone.  The missing headband is not in fact helping.  Of course Mariona wasn't given a good alternative to joining the Church of Asmodeus, and neither was I.  It's not considered a theological virtue in Asmodeanism to give people attractive alternatives to serving Asmodeus.  Mariona most certainly did have a choice -- she couldn't end up Lawful Evil and damned, if she was given literally no choices.  But the Church presented her with choices such that she, like almost every candidate put in her position, ended up choosing to hurt a lot of other people over getting hurt herself, realizing her very ordinary and perfectly normal innate Evil in a form that Pharasma would damn her about.  It's possible that you're different, yourself, but if you've never been put in her position I wouldn't go congratulating yourself over the fact."

"It's also not considered a virtue to be stupid about whether or not you've successfully narrowed somebody's alternatives that way, to believe you have them cornered when actually you don't.  That is what we would colloquially term Stupid Evil.  Not a formal alignment, per se, but the point is that Stupid Evil is importantly distinct from Lawful Evil.  If you, Merrin, didn't have a choice -- if it did not seem to me that you had, not only a choice, but perhaps alternatives that seemed potentially attractive to you -- I would not be offering to negotiate with you about it."

"I find it hard to imagine not knowing that Hell exists.  I suppose I can imagine finding it upsetting to learn that it's there, and that if you've chosen others getting hurt over yourself getting hurt, you are probably going there.  I will not be offended if you express that you would prefer to be on top of Hell rather than at the bottom of it; it's in fact conventional Asmodean theology to say that Asmodeus is the winner and we're the losers and that there's no morality to it beyond the fact that He is more powerful and the victor.  Being a grownup consists of accepting that this is the reality rather than whining about it, and making the best we can of the fact that Hell does exist; and rather a lot of devils are more powerful than us, and are going to want us to serve them, rather than them serving us.  If you can come to grips with this unpleasant fact faster by wearing the headband for a few more minutes, doing so sounds like it might save us both a lot of needless drama."