I was a bit confused by the assertion that most avatars presiding over domains were authority figures. My first thought was that’s not true! We see cops and politicians as domain victims and most avatars weren’t in positions of power pre apocalypse. But then I actually went down the list of avatars we meet in season 5 and a lot of them were in positions of power to one degree or another.
Not all of them fit into that mold though. Some like Jared Hopworth and Calum Broady were bullies who achieved power over individual people but never really had any true structural authority until they got their domains. Not!Sasha and Helen were almost entirely non-human and were driven mostly by the pure instinctual impulses of the Fears. Oliver Banks is admittedly a bit of an outlier in initially trying to reject the power he gained from the Fears. As is Jordan Kennedy who had avatarhood thrust upon him against his will.
Still I suppose I see where Melanie is coming from. Among people who become avatars there probably was a disproportionate number of people who actively sought out authority and power. Still I’m not sure if that tracks with the wider group of avatars spanning the entire series. I suppose it could also be that those who were used to and enjoyed power took a more active role in tormenting people in their domains making them the most recognizable and hated post apocalypse. We know from Martin’s domain that an avatar could take a completely hands off approach and people in their domain would still suffer but might never actually be aware of them.
Idk that bit just sent me down a bit of a rabbit hole thinking about all the avatars in season 5 and whether they were people who were “used to living with authority” as Melanie says. Like this line
ALT
Implies a significant number of people in government or business were avatars with domains which doesn’t track to me at all. Avatars we know in TMA come from a variety of backgrounds and most aren’t powerful to any significant degree pre Fears. like I think I do buy a new found rejection of authority amongst most people based on their experiences in the domains. A lot of avatars did have or sought power over people. But most people in positions of power being avatars doesn’t seem correct to me based on the sample we see in Season 5. It’s not that important of a gripe in the grand scheme but it did stick out to me.
ALT