maskormenace | Duel 01; Video

[There aren't any questions about what this place is or what it's like. Utena's already gotten used to all of that. She does, however, have a question about something else that's been on her mind: employment. She flops on her new bed and turns on her device, and the network will see a zoomed in image of her eye before she stretches her arms and raises her communicator, showing her from the shoulders up]

So. The government gives us these jobs when we get here, right? But what do you do when it's something you're not cut out for? Like...

[Okay, recording like this isn't very comfortable after all. She stops and rolls over on her side, and adjusts the camera so it's focusing mostly on her face]

I'm supposed to be a teacher, sort of. Or maybe instructor is a better way to put it? ...anyway, I'm supposed to give fencing lessons now. And it's not that I'm bad at it, but...

[She bites her lip and glances away for a moment, uncertain of how much she should (or how much she even wants to) explain about the duels.]

Well, I'm not really used to "standard" fencing matches. I mean, I've fenced before, but the last time I did the rules were kind of weird, and as soon as I got used to it the game would change again. The only real advice I could give is, "hey, don't get stabbed," but that's not really good advice, is it? I mean, that's what swordfighting is all about, I guess, but...

[She sighs, and flops back on her pillow]

I'm not really sure what I should do about this. I still need to talk to them - the people who run the lessons, not the guys who gave me the job - but... I guess I'm just worried that they'll expect more from me than what I can give them. That they'll expect me to be some master fencer from a movie or storybook or something like that. Has anyone else had to deal with that? With their bosses expecting them to be something they're not, I mean.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[we can't always get what we want]

but that can't be everybody, can it? what good is profit if everyone's dead?

It often isn't the ones who get affected the most who make the decisions.

[so why doesn't anybody stop the

She stops typing that sentence before she can finish, and backspaces immediately, deleting everything. Instead, she starts with a new question]

and what would it take to make them stop?

[She's finally starting to understand what he said earlier, when he said that protecting people meant hurting someone else.]

If by "them," you mean the leading political figures of both countries, there are two things that usually change people's minds: one, money, and two, death. Unless you have enough money to offer them in exchange for peace, I would write that option off for you.

The second would require a swift removal of those responsible for the growing tensions. But surely you don't mean that, because that would be implying you would support political assassination on a public forum.

Edited 2017-05-18 18:00 (UTC)

[Okay, this conversation went off the rails. Abort abort abort-]

that's a pretty bad idea, so no! no, i'm not. besides, wouldn't someone just take their place???

[He definitely conducted it off the rails, sorry. ]

Oh, yes, I'm sure. But I believe it was the French Revolution of 1789 AD on Earth where the citizens proceeded to just keep arresting and executing people of high political and noble class, until they managed to settle down, half a decade later.

But, clearly, that isn't what you meant, so don't worry about it.

Edited 2017-05-23 13:09 (UTC)

[She can't tell if he's being sarcastic or not. Thanks text messages!!! Still, there's one last thing she wants to ask before she drops it]

i didn't expect a guy from space to know much about french history. but how much do you know about what it was like before that? before the revolution i mean.

[Utena's not asking for the sake of a history lesson. She already has an idea of how it went down. She's asking because the answer to this will lead to the answer to another question, one that's been brewing in the back of her head since they started their conversation]

[Sometimes the sarcasm is just so natural to him it's hard to tell even with speech.]

I researched human history within a week of my arrival. I assumed it would be essential for my understanding of this planet's interactions, understanding of culture, and ability to predict best course action in the current political situation happening.

As for what it was like before the revolution itself, the less influential classes were already facing a longstanding hatred of the "noble" classes as well as of their existing Monarchy due to their inability to properly manage the economy, and an ineffective "king" figure. Eventually this struggle lead to a food shortage which then lead to actions, like theft and riots, taken by the lower classes.

This is all a summary, of course. If you'd like a fully detailed lesson, I could direct you to several more detailed books.

no thanks, i think i've got it. i've just been thinking about that, and some things you said earlier, too. there wasn't any other way to change things, was there? the king wasn't helping them out, and they couldn't afford to wait around any longer. the revolution was the only way they could make things better, even if it meant hurting people. though i guess you can't make any kind of change without hurting someone.

[now, the reign of terror? that could have been handled better. possibly. maybe. but that's enough for its own conversation]

Short of the King having a massive personality change, and the nobles deciding that they would put the needs of the many over their greed and corruption, no. There wasn't much that could be done to resolve this conflict internally aside from what happened.

and things turned out better, too. i'm still not sure about what came afterward, though. the reign of terror. there had to be a better way to get everything to settle down, but i don't know much history, or how it even got to that point.

[She only knows a little bit. French people starved, so French nobles got the guillotine. And then... everybody got the guillotine? That's how it went, isn't it? This is what you get when most of your history knowledge comes from old comics.]

Duel 01; Video

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IF THIS IS TOO OLD dont worry about tagging back!!

it's all good man

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