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With This Ring (Young Justice SI) (Thread Fourteen)

Discussion in 'Creative Writing' started by Mr Zoat, Jan 27, 2019.

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  1. Threadmarks: Otherworld (part 9)
    Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    1st May
    08:59 GMT -5


    "Mistress Bleak not going to join us?"

    Abednego hesitates for a moment before responding. "Sister Bleak is a canny fighter, strong-willed and true. But she is a scourge where perhaps a feather is more suited."

    A couple of local men are supervising the grundymen loading our wagon, while Mr. Yao is quietly humming as he tries to understand their physiology. It looks like their wards don’t disrupt his sonic abilities.

    "Well said. Very diplomatic."

    "We do not customarily work as a group. We were simply the ones who stepped forward when the call was made to face the fiend. Brother Shadrach were powerful moved to face the foul warlock who had slain so many. Sister Beulah wished to kill the murderer of her parents."

    "And you?"

    "I felt moved to it." He frowns as he catches sight through a window of Diana's part of the team. "Prithee, explain a thing to me."

    "Certainly."

    "Yonder woman; she is a princess among your folk?"

    "Themyscira isn't a huge place, but she's the Crown Princess."

    "Why does she… Dress..?"

    "Joke-answer or real-answer?"

    "As it please you."

    "That's the traditional raiment of Themysciran ambassadors. She has dresses and robes, but we weren't sure what sort of reception we were going to get and she wanted to travel light. The bustier itself was made by Hephaestus, and is proof against most forms of attack. It also has the advantage of not binding her arms or legs; Diana is far stronger than any normal woman and if she wore something more binding in a fight she'd risk tearing it."

    He frowns thoughtfully. "Still…"

    "Have you ever worked on a farm?"

    "Aye, as a child, before I was 'pprenticed."

    "Did you ever take your shirt off because you got hot from working hard?"

    "Aye, I did."

    "Was that lascivious? Were you trying to attract the amorous attentions of the local girls?"

    "No." He nods. "I take your meaning."

    "Oh, it's not my meaning. 'But I say unto you, that whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.'"

    He smiles. "Ah! So you interpret our Lord and Saviour's lesson as being that the sin is in the watcher, not the one being watched!"

    "Well… Not in all circumstances, but for her that form of dress is completely normal. She's not trying to 'lead anyone away from the path of righteousness', she's just armouring her vital organs in case she gets into a fight. If someone gets 'distracted' by it, that's on them."

    "I take your meaning, but methinks you would be hard pressed to carry the conclave."

    "But I'm not trying to convince the conclave." I nod at the wranglers as they hitch horses to the cart. "Why do you use horses, not grundymen?"

    "Controlling grundymen requires us to use our magics while controlling horses requires but a touch of the reins. If those we would speak to seek affray, grundymen would leave me weakened. And there are ways to disrupt the witch-signs I would use."

    "And why aren't I just carrying us there?"

    "We are a people of Christian witches. This hallowed land upon which we live is rife with spells and witch-signs, which such techniques as you use interfere with. That was what drew Sister Beulah to you."

    "And.. she shot me. And you think the 'warlock-breed' would react in the same sort of way?"

    "Some members of the parliament have long called for their deaths."

    "And you?"

    "'The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.'" He bows his head slightly. "Alas, the magics of the Sheeda do not share the Lord's forbearance."

    He walks towards the cart, raising his right hand slightly to draw the attention of our fellow travellers.

    "Gentlemen, please take your seats and we will away."

    Mr Yao takes a seat on the bench at the front, while Leonid and I land in the back amongst the supply boxes. He claims a box as a seat while I generate a construct. Abednego climbs aboard last, a faint glow coming from the sigils carved into the wood and embossed upon the metal. He lightly shakes the reins and the horses trot out of the yard and down the centre of a largely empty thoroughfare.

    Mr Yao looks around as people step to the sides of the road to avoid us. The witch-people clearly haven't felt the need to establish a rule about keeping to one side of the road, and the grundymen are slow enough to respond to their controllers that we have to keep a slow pace.

    "How long will this take?"

    Abednego shrugs. "Not so long, i'faith. I will use my magic to speed us on our way once we leave the town. That will take us to the closest road, then we must journey across the chalklands for a time. Perhaps a day or two, all told."

    "What form of magic?"

    "I be a synchronicity pilgrim. The cart, the horses and we ourselves will move at one with the universe."

    I frown. "Yes, but wouldn't that.. just mean that obstacles were conveniently absent and connecting ferries will be there when we need them? We'll be moving in harmony with the world, not changing a part of it."

    "Ah, you have some knowledge of it!" He smiles, glancing back at me as he does so. "Verily, at the skill of an apprentice that is indeed so. But as my master taught it to me, far greater things are possible if you abandon ego and submerge yourself in the wonder of the Lord's creation."

    Which might explain why John never did it. 'Submerging himself in wonder' isn't really his thing. Or… 'Wasn't', I suppose. Becoming a Lord of Order and Chaos might have changed his perspective.

    "Mister Abednego?" Leonid leans forwards slightly. "May I ask, what abilities do you use in combat? If this meeting is hostile, we must plan for what you can do."

    Abednego tugs his coat aside slightly, showing a brace of pistols.

    "I'm a fair shot, but if I'm a'fighting someone without righteous cause I prefer to slip away. Things being what they are, the warlock-folk are powerful riled up."

    Mr Yao raises his eyebrows slightly. "For what reason?"

    "We bind people against using evil magics because in the early days some of Melmoth's favourites tried doing things… That should not be spoken of. Which means that whenever we scry the workings of the Sheeda, the warlock-folk are targeted for a vengeance of dubious righteousness. They have their own ways of keeping watch on us, and they usually choose to move further away. But the Lord-Protector has commissioned a series of new villages these past few years. We're closer to their oldest settlements now than ever before, and they do not want to move."

    Marvellous.
     
    Last edited: Aug 22, 2020
  2. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

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    Maybe 'are possible'

    'Lord of Order and Chaos'

    John's just a Lord of Chaos.
     
  3. zerofarad

    zerofarad Know what you're doing yet?

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    presumably you
     
  4. BlueMangoAdea

    BlueMangoAdea Alive. For now.

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    Wasn't he both before he foisted off his helmet?
     
  5. Handlewithcare

    Handlewithcare Versed in the lewd.

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    Okay, maybe I like Abednego. Seems like a sensible fellow.
     
  6. Chojin Patriarch

    Chojin Patriarch Veteran Lurker

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    Yes, she is a bit...blunt. About as subtle as a brick in a sock. Sure, there are times when you need that, but this doesn't sound like one of them.

    A man of hidden depths. Very happy to see more of him.

    'Felt moved to it'... His own synchronicity training guiding him to where he's best needed?

    And yes, some of the Amazons do wear about as much as she does. Or less.

    Wonder how he'd take the joke answer...

    Or literally bursting out of it. Muscles do expand noticeably when flexing.

    Hmm? Where's he going with this?

    Ah. Drawing a parallel to Abednego's life. Clever.

    I suspect he wouldn't be averse to any attentions anyway. Teenagers.

    Got to love that ring database lookup facility...

    And if it helps her beat them? All the better.

    Logical. And while horses can be spooked, they're less able to run wild hitched to the cart.

    Ah. So he's like a big, buzzing fly moving through their detection network.

    That's not quite the question OL asked.

    So, the descendants of those who did use Sheeda magic get tarred with the same brush, even if they're repentant? It's not just cultural, but physiological corruption.

    Mount 'em up!

    So hurrying is not the easiest thing. I shudder to imagine the response time on emergency services, if they even have any.

    Handy power. But... a day or two? Aren't they on a clock? How long can they maintain access from Earth?

    How remarkably Zen of them.

    Very Zen indeed. Just let the waters of life carry you to where you need to be?

    Any area-effect spells you need to watch out for, for instance? Don't want to 'leave the fighters roasting in their mail'...

    Good to see he's not needlessly belligerent. A reasonable fellow.

    Well, that's...

    ...You said it. This is going to get messy, I bet.

    Boy, I can just feel the sarcasm dripping off his last word. This sort of situation never ends well for anyone, and tends to leave hard feelings on one side or the other. And this? A persecuted minority being pressed by the expanding community that persecutes them? There will be blood, methinks.
     
  7. ChiChi

    ChiChi I trust you know where the happy button is?

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    That window is already closed that was a big part of selecting the team who went by who could afford to be absent from their normal lives until the portal could be opened again to bring them back
     
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  8. Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    Thank you, corrected.
    He's basically a puritan hippy. The Lord God has a plan, and he's happy to go along with it.
     
  9. david

    david Getting sticky.

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    Oh God, it's Brazil all over again but somehow more complicated.
     
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  10. Aeess

    Aeess I trust you know where the happy button is?

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    Why is Wonder Woman wearing her old armor? Like i get it if she's gotten used to it and prefers to wear it on places like the watchtower, but on a mission I'd think she'd wear her new armor since it's quite a bit more protective.
     
    Last edited: Aug 13, 2020
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  11. Vaermina

    Vaermina Well worn.

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    You don't bring tech armor to a wizard fight, you bring the god forged armor that actually has a chance against them.
     
  12. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

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    Io, the Amazon that was taught by Hephaestus, helped make the new armor.

    Though yeah bringing the one Hephaestus made does seem like a better idea.
     
  13. Stsword

    Stsword Versed in the lewd.

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    I wonder if any of the "witchbreed" here are only people who inherited more from the Sheeda blood than just blue skin, as opposed to those physically corrupted by magic Puritans weren't meant to know.

    Shapeshifting, insect wings, tentacles, maybe exoskeletal armor, horns and stuff, the Sheeda have some interesting bits floating in the DNA.

    An Alex Mercer-like kid who just takes after Melmoth's grandmother probably wouldn't go over well among the blue puritan set.

    Oh that reminds me, there's a Green Lantern (Turytt) that looks like Doomsday, which suggests interesting things about where Bertron got that infant to start his experiments. [​IMG].
     
  14. Aeess

    Aeess I trust you know where the happy button is?

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    Wonder Woman's new armor isn't tech armor and Hephaestus was involved in making it.
     
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  15. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

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    Just reread the chapter and apparently she wanted to travel light, since they didn't know how long they'd be gone.

    Also this mission is technically a diplomatic one, so she may have wanted to wear something non threatening.

    He either got it from this guys home planet, or Doomsday and Turytt share nothing in common, aside from some similarities in appearance, not even their species.

    It wouldn't be the first time members of two different species shared similar looks, even if they tend to be more human like most of the time.
     
  16. Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    The old costume is the uniform of a Themysciran ambassador while the new armour is armour. It's a lot more comfortable to wear for long periods of time, too.
     
  17. TheMidnightRook

    TheMidnightRook Well worn.

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    He might actually still hold both titles, it was mentioned a couple of weeks ago that Quinn isn't a Lord of Order, so Constantine may still hold the title even without the helmet.

     
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  18. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

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    Yeah, but he gave the Helmet, the source of Order magic, to another guy.

    Plus he apparently had trouble synchronising the two different magics, so it's not all that likely that he's both a Order and Chaos lord.
     
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  19. Siskulous

    Siskulous Know what you're doing yet?

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    Isn't it more like Constantine is a Lord of Chaos who was able to get access to Order magic through the helmet?

    I'm still waiting for that whole mess to come back and bite OL in the ass. I mean....Constantine. SOMEONE'S gonna get screwed over it.
     
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  20. Coda

    Coda Versed in the lewd.

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    Comma instead of semicolon.

    Some of the dialect is ever so slightly throwing me off because it's just different enough from how my grandmother used to talk to trip my "that's not right" alert. (She's gradually drifted to a more neutral American dialect over time, probably because of a combination of national television and none of her descendants talking like that, but I can still remember.) Voice-acting through it has it come out sounding natural, though, so no corrections needed in that regard.

    I really like this Abednego guy. His worldview jives with my own.
     
  21. TheMidnightRook

    TheMidnightRook Well worn.

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    a) The in-story claim is that he became both, not that he neccessarily still is.
    b) I specifically said he might still be, based on the fact that Quinn didn't become a Lord of Order.
    c) The last time he appeared, it was said that he should be able to work out a balance and harmonize the conflicting magics, with the resulting implication that he would be trying it:
     
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  22. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

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    It's still highly doubtful that he became something like a Lord of both Order and Chaos.

    The in-story claim was that he would try to become both, not that he succeeded.

    Quinn may not be a Lord of Order, but he does still have the Helmet, which is an extremely powerful artifact, and it's doubtful John could have become a Lord of Order without it.

    The two sources he may try to figure out how to synchronize, Oggar and Shazam, are not exactly all that likely to help him.

    Shazam may know of his reputation and refuse because of that, plus he may not want to help a guy who helped kill a colleague in the Lord business, and Oggar is a bastard who may not want to risk associating with Constantine.

    It's more likely that John decided to just give the Helmet to Quinn and stay a Lord of Chaos after finding it difficult to synchronize the two magics, with the possibility that he may have just learned a bit of how to use Order magic, but not enough to qualify as a Lord of Order.
     
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  23. Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    Thank you, corrected.
     
  24. TheMidnightRook

    TheMidnightRook Well worn.

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    This rather implies a successful attempt:
    When they killed Nabu, Constantine used the mana batteries to siphon off some of Nabu's power, seemingly hijacking Nabu's connection to the Plane of Order similar to what they did to Klarion.

     
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  25. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

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    OL hasn't exactly been in contact with John since he left for Vega, so it's possible that he doesn't know if John somehow managed a balance.

    He may have absorbed some of Nabus magic, but it may not have been enough to become a Lord of Order.

    It's also possible that he ran out of Order magic without the Helmet, or even if he still has some left it may not be enough to be considered a Lord of Order.

    He also seemed to be uncomfortable wielding the two magics so he may have gotten rid of all the Order magic in him, he got rid of the Helmet at least.
     
  26. TheEyes

    TheEyes Well worn.

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    That would make more sense if they were approaching a completely alien civilization, but they're supposed to be negotiating with magical super-Puritans, so maybe a metal swimsuit wouldn't be the best thing to show up in?
     
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  27. Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    Well, yes, but she wore a swim suit made of the American flag in 1940s America, so...
     
  28. TheMidnightRook

    TheMidnightRook Well worn.

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    And the phrase "Becoming a Lord of Order and Chaos might have changed his perspective" is entirely past-tense, it doesn't need him to have had contact, for John to have successfully achieved balance, or for John to have stayed a Lord of either.

    All technically possible. Also purely speculative. He "may" have killed himself, he "may" have gotten rid of both Order and Chaos magics and given himself amnesia. It's "also possible" that he worked out a way to portal to Wilson and is currently crashing on Twilight Sparkle's couch.
     
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  29. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

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    I'm assuming that if that is true then he became 'The Thing That Would Not Leave'.

    They already had enough problems with Discord running around.

    As for the whole balance thing we won't know until we see John again and what he's been up to, though from everything so far I still don't think he managed the whole balance thing, but I could be wrong, he has pulled off some bullshit things before so it may be possible.
     
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  30. Threadmarks: Otherworld (supplementary, Renegade Option)
    Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    1st May
    09:11 GMT -6


    Luna glances around from the television as I as trot into the living room in equine form. The new… Newer living room has a surfeit of space even for a full family gathering, but she's opted to lie on the floor rather than move a settee into a direction which would allow her to watch the screen. Not that it's much of a sacrifice; with a cleaning staff and science fiction cleaning tools I opted for a decadently fluffy carpet, and it's easily soft enough for comfort.

    "We do not believe that We understand the way in which the people of America choose their ruler."

    "You and America."

    I walk over to stand next to her, then begin the somewhat awkward process of lowering myself onto my belly. Yes, I could just pull in my legs and let Sinestro lower me, but I want practice in my pony form. Downdowndowndown and we have a successful landing! Tuck my legs in a bit…

    "We suppose that it is progress that you are merely as ungainly as a drunken adolescent."

    "Yes, yes it is." I smile and turn my head towards her. "But remember that every piece of mockery which you throw at me will be thrown back at you when you experiment with bipedalism."

    "We are uncertain that We even want to change Our form so. It is less stable, lacks wings, struggles to utilise magic and lacks the physical strength which Our Earth Pony magic provides us."

    "Basically all human technology is designed for hands. But, I'm not forcing you. If you don't think you're up to it then you don't think you're up to it."

    "An obvious bait."

    "Yeah." I smile. "Is it working?"

    She rolls her eyes and looks away for a moment, before giving her mane a small toss.

    "What do you mean by 'Us and America'?"

    "I'm pretty sceptical about how many Americans actually understand how the whole thing works. Most of them probably get the basics, but the actual give and take and lobbying that actually happens to actually effect change… I'm dubious. I don't really understand all of it, and I've been involved at the highest level for over a year."

    "Explain it to Us."

    "O-. Well, I can't; as I said, I don't understand it. But if you want the basics… Equestria is an autocratic tyranny. When Celestia wants to make a law, change a policy or use executive authority, she doesn't need anyone's permission."

    Luna raises her eyebrows.

    I raise mine right back.

    "Duocratic monarchy. And we are advised by numerous ponies."

    "But they can't stop you. The only people who can gainsay the monarchs are the monarchs, which in practice will mean Celestia for a generation or two."

    "Yes… Someone must be able to make a final decision."

    I squeeze my eyes closed, quietly sniggering.

    "Is that..? Not the case here?"

    I open my eyes to see Luna regarding me quizzically.

    "The problem with America, is that they tried to make the best system possible."

    Her eyes narrow. "And that is bad?"

    "If you try and make a perfect system as an imperfect being using imperfect beings, things are going to go 'bong' the moment you pull the activation lever. This right here?" I nod at the television as the presenters try to judge the likely outcome of the remaining primary votes. All the ways Knight could lose, basically. None of them are particularly likely. "This is a pre-election election."

    "Yes, the two parties are deciding who will be their champion. We understand that much."

    "Except that's not it. Each state votes on who they want each party's candidate to be. In some places only members of that party can vote, but in other places anyone can."

    "Would the other party not simply try to vote for an unelectable ignoramus, to increase the attractiveness of their own candidate?"

    It would explain a lot…

    "They might, but there's a risk that person might get elected. The intent -as I understand it- is to increase the chance of getting a candidate with wider appeal. And of course there's an electoral college, which makes things more complicated."

    She frowns. "If the system is so complex that it requires a college to teach people how to participate, then We may concur with your assessment."

    "No, 'college' in this context means the votes in each state determine where the fixed number of votes of that state go, which are the votes that actually determine the outcome. So you vote for a vote in an election for an election. In fact, given that they also use electors, it's a vote for a vote in an election for a vote in an election."

    "I suspect that it is more sensible that you make it sound."

    "No, it's like Winter Wrap-Up: pointless, but people have been doing it this way for so long that people don't react rationally to you questioning it."

    "What is your intent?"

    "I'd like Horne to win, but Knight is such a… Leaf in the wind that I doubt he'll really make things difficult for me."

    She nods, though she's frowning. "Did your interview advance his cause? Are those issues… Child-rearing and private armaments, important to the people of America?"

    "Ahhh… Sort of. It's…" I take a moment to work out how to explain it. "Virtue signalling."

    "Your meaning?"

    "Humans are mind-blind. They can't hear one another's thoughts, or truly see the world from one another's perspective. All they can do is observe the behaviours of one another and attempt to decipher the thoughts and intent behind them. Virtue signalling is the process by which humans within a political community show one another what people in that community value. For a pony example: Applejack is honest even when it isn't in her interest to be, and all around her can see this and are reassured that honesty is something she truly values."

    "We understand so far."

    "And that lesson wouldn't be anything like as effective if she merely said that she valued honesty but constantly lied. She would be labelled as a hypocrite, and when an accusation of hypocrisy sticks it's usually considered a pretty solid refutation of an argument. Which is a fallacy; a person coming up short doesn't prove that they don't value a thing or that the thing shouldn't be valued… But I'm getting off track."

    "A consequence of mind-blindness is that all we can judge are appearances. But if that's true, what is the difference between someone who acts in accordance with their deeply-felt beliefs and someone who puts on a show for popularity's sake?"

    "Constancy."

    I snort with amusement. "Yes. But people have such short memories. Gun ownership and sex education are… Flag issues. Signifying issues. In theory, they show an allegiance to a particular way of seeing the nation. In terms of practicality they're irrelevant. The most conservative president in history couldn't block children's access to sex-related material in a country like America. The most liberal couldn't prevent parents lecturing their children on abstinence-only. The most gun-hating president couldn't recall every gun in circulation and if a gun-lover repealed every restrictive ordinance hardly anyone would take advantage of it because the most practical guns are already legal. A handful of people would buy tanks and artillery pieces to show that they could, and that's about it. Whether Horne or Knight win the election, I doubt that either will change the law relating to either topic much, if at all. Even if they would like to." I snort quietly. "Even if they try to."

    "But Knight is signalling that he has a virtue, a set of beliefs. A set that will cause particular demographics to vote for him, even though they'll get little out of it. A set that I don't believe that he actually has, but that won't matter because his new friends aren't going to look back at his previous positions, or will accept that he's seen the light. Knight goes to where people are and tries to fit in. Horne states his case -usually.. not very well- and tries to bring people to him."

    "What would they do if they felt it necessary to take a position that none agreed with, as Celestia did when she freed Discord?"

    "They fail to pass any legislation for the remainder of their term, and are never elected again."

    Luna nods. "We think that We may see a flaw in this system."

    "You and Socrates, Luna. You and Socrates."
     
    Last edited: Sep 5, 2020
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