un: kantera, text

[happydreamed]

If this adventure with chain mail has taught me anything, 'tis that many of us here are having our first exposure to the internet, with all its amusements and pitfalls included. Thus, I thought it might be nice to introduce another 'getting to know each other' game that some of us might not know yet. This one won't involve pictures or ratings of attractiveness, not to worry.

This game is called 'two truths and a lie'. The premise is simple. You list three statements about yourself, two true and one false. Ideally they should all be similar levels of unbelievable. Then, other people respond to you to guess which one is the lie. We all learn a little about each other and have a bit of fun.

Comments

[kingside]

[Damn it. Fine.]

What would you like to know about it?

[nihilmancy]

Only what you are willing to tell me.

Why is Britannia not based on the island that it is named after?

[kingside]

[Mrr.]

Because Queen Elizabeth III was forced to abolish the monarchy, and the royal family fled to what is now the Britannian homeland. You may know it as America.

[nihilmancy]

I see.

[ She will leave aside her feelings about monarchy (and aristocracy) right now. She's not a huge fan. ]

That would have created some very... complex cultural ferment. Would this have anything to do with those revolutions in America and France?

[kingside]

Washington's Rebellion failed, but yes, it was Napoleon who ousted Elizabeth III.

[And he's getting a mild headache. Maybe he should just see if he can find a book on Britannian history from the library. Somehow.]

[nihilmancy]

It's hard to remember all the ancient names, I'm afraid. I mostly remembered the general shape of things. When you're raised as a noble, and a "gifted" one at that, your head gets crammed full of whole libraries worth of things.

[ She wouldn't begrudge him stopping soon. It's already been a productive conversation. ]

[kingside]

[Ancient, right. He's still wrapping his head around that.]

Then I'll wrap up by saying that Ricardo van Britannia, Elizabeth III's lover, was named her heir. There have been over ninety emperors and expresses since.

[nihilmancy]

How long has the empire existed? That's... an impressive amount of sovereigns.

[kingside]

[Yeah, about that.]

Roughly two hundred years, in truth, but to legitimize their rule, the royal family traces its lineage back much further than that. By my reckoning, it's 2018 a.t.b. currently—"Ascension Throne Britannia"—so as you might imagine, they took quite creatively to the task.

[nihilmancy]

[ She smiles to herself with near fondness. Some things never change. ]

Ah, those sorts do love to get high on their own mythology, don't they? Writing history as they will. I've never been devout, but it always felt like sacrilege to me. Blasphemy, you know?

Don't pretend. I can see that you're angry, at least a little.

[kingside]

[... All right, having that perceived isn't something he'd expected to happen here, but perhaps like recognizes like? Or... well, he supposes he hadn't done himself any favors by explicitly stating such things. He doesn't especially care, of course, but it's a reminder to pay closer attention to what he's letting slip here.]

A lie can unify people as easily as it can divide them. Britannia, unfortunately, only ever saw merit in the latter.

[That, meanwhile, is entirely on purpose.]

[nihilmancy]

[ It was just a hunch... but a rather strong hunch at that. It was in the terse way he worded his explanations. ]

I understand. The Gaian Hegemony is organized around admirable principles but in practice is dominated by the ruling noble class and exploits the non-citizen planets at their fringe, justifying this as "bringing them peace and civilization."

[kingside]

[Honestly? Fair.] [There it is again. That said... well.]

Are they unopposed in this?

[nihilmancy]

No. The Hegemony is far from the only power in known space, though they are by far the most powerful. They are a reality that must be accepted, at this phase of history, but surely it shall not be eternal, as naught is.

Not all of their opponents are necessarily more enlightened, either.

[kingside]

[She'd count herself among those who are, then, or so he assumes. Hmm.]

Then I wish you luck in seeing their end in your lifetime, should that be possible.

[nihilmancy]

[ Perhaps. Not entirely. It's complicated. She's already gotten her hands dirty for the Hegemony. She also resents the system it's built up. She's exploring her options for what moves she can possibly make.

Even to a stranger from another universe, she wants to keep a few cards hidden. ]

Mm. We shall see, won't we?

[kingside]

[Using his own experience as a metric is unreliable, to say the least, especially in a place like this, but he's well beyond familiar with the need for secrecy. He also doesn't know her full history or if what she says about the Hegemony is at all true in the first place, so he's just going to continue to express his support as ambiguously as possible.]

Indeed we shall.

[Or she will. Hopefully.]