call me maybe [Connecticut Yankee] | Glowfic Constellation

connecticut_yankee

"The Church recognizes borders, but supersedes them when convenient. My adversary of Canterbury would have no qualms about asking his colleagues to extend the Interdict."

from_scratch

"Okay, I'll put you and your family in a little spaceship and we can go industrially revolutionize the Chinese."

connecticut_yankee

"That would work, if you can magic some translations. But I would not abandon these people so unless there is no other choice."

from_scratch

"I can... sort of magic translations, in the sense that when I'm summoned I get my summoner's languages. I don't have sixth century Chinese, but I have a few dialects of modern and could muddle along, and if we can talk a Chinese person into re-summoning me I'll be all set. That does of course assume that in spite of the time travel slash alternate universe business I can be dismissed and resummoned as normal. But sure, you're entrenched, we can try the angelic proclamation business. Is England Catholic right now? Should I go appear to the Pope?"

connecticut_yankee

"England is Catholic. I've been meaning to start a Protestant Reformation to get people used to the idea of religious liberty, but it has always been on the back burner.

The Pope would be obeyed, but I don't know how long a message would take between here and Rome. In order of urgency, the knights likely come first and then the Archbishop."

from_scratch

"Okay. And, contrary to the spirit of Biblical angels alas, I should probably be presenting a consistent message."

connecticut_yankee

"And a simple one. We can't very well pass down John Locke's treatises on government.

Perhaps we tell them that since Arthur was the best king heaven itself could imagine, he is to have no successor?
And, since the Church has displeased the imaginary source of our message, a general dispensation that sacraments can now be provided by anyone, be he a priest or no."

from_scratch

"Was Arthur really that great? I mean, we have Arthurian legends where I'm from, but they're mostly about how his wife cheated on him, he overreacted, he may or may not have slept with his sister, and generally England had to wait around for the Magna Carta before things could be called progressive."

connecticut_yankee

"No, of course not. He was one of the few to be noble in both senses of the word, but he was no better than his century could produce.
But the people loved him, and if we tell them he was the best king imaginable, they will both believe it and be more likely to believe anything else we say."

from_scratch

"Speaking of the best one's century can produce," says Cam, looking Hank over, "I'm sort of curious about what 1895 spat out. I'm tentatively impressed, especially when you didn't blink much about the idea of industrializing China, but I feel like maybe I want to quiz you a little bit before taking your advice as read."

connecticut_yankee

"Quiz about what, exactly? Because if it comes to it I'm still trying to look past the fact that you're a demon who thinks Biblical angels are inconsistent and I'm a Presbyterian."

from_scratch

"Yes, you're being impressively non-racist about the demon thing, but I assure you my species has no effect on my moral tendencies. So, as a for instance, in your Republic, can women vote and hold office?"

connecticut_yankee

"It only just came into existence and has never had an election. I don't think the constitution has even been written down yet.
As for whether they will be able to, I don't see why not. Sixth-century women are at no more of a disadvantage than the men are when it comes to understanding and voting on politics. And I was pro-suffrage, back in Connecticut."

from_scratch

"Good for you. Hmmm, current events I'm most recently familiar with are things I couldn't possibly expect you to have an informed opinion on. Pan-Lunar independence movement and such. Enh. Okay, full speed ahead, but I'm not sure I want to appear as an angel to people who think angels are angelic and tell 'em that King Arthur was the best of the best. It's possible I should in fact read the entire Bible before attempting to impersonate an actually-angelic-angel. ...Do they even have the King James version yet? I know Hebrew but not Aramaic."

connecticut_yankee

"King James won't be born for another millennium.
The Arthur thing was just to make it credible—folk around here expect their kings to be divinely ordained and therefore the best possible.
If we want to tell them no more kings, they'd be a lot more likely to listen if it's because no-one can measure up to Arthur than if it's because kings are around as useful for about the same purposes as cats."

from_scratch

"I expect kings to object more if you try to rub their tummies and be much worse at catching mice. You know, in my time, there still exists a British monarchy. It has only ceremonial power and the ability to make journalists squeal at high pitch; meanwhile the actual governing is accomplished principally by the parliament and the European Union."

connecticut_yankee

"It doesn't go away in the next two and a half centuries? I was hoping it would. But at least if it's making people squeal at high pitch and not governing, it's still only doing things that that other aristocracy would be able to handle."

from_scratch

"There's an argument to be made that it's good because it distracts people from having stupid opinions about the actual business of legislature, if they can squeal about kings and queens and princes and princesses. But that's a little beside the point, if Arthur's dead and there's not a decent successor stashed in a broom cupboard." Cam experiments with various ways of folding his wings and finds one he likes. "Look, generally speaking, I am disinclined to lying. Playing merry hell with implications, sprouting feathers and descending from dramatic cloud formations sillhouetted by burning magnesium and announcing myself with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir crooning in Latin in surround sound, telling people that industrial revolutions are lovely and they should want one, yes; claiming Arthur was totally great you guys, you're going to have to sell me harder on that one."

connecticut_yankee

"If playing with implications is better, there are plenty of ways to do that. He will be remembered as legendary, he was the best king in anyone's memory, and you yourself with your presumed-but-not-actual omniscience don't know of any predecessors who could be called better. And he did abolish slavery with only a little prompting from me. If it helps, I was planning to convince him to make this declaration. How many Georges and Charleses do you think would have done it?

A direct statement that England is not to have a king... the people would need some justification. We're competing with lifetimes of propaganda here and we have the option of making it work for us."

from_scratch

"Where do people think you came from, anyway?"

connecticut_yankee

"As far as they know, I'm just a magician. Better at it than Merlin or Morgana, but nothing that upsets their world view."

from_scratch

"Could Merlin or Morgana do anything? For that matter, can you? Where I'm from humans can do little teeny 'parlor tricks' - legit magic, just useless and slow and clumsy, you want to summon a daeva for a big job."

connecticut_yankee

"I'm proud to say I have no magic at all. Nothing but hard work and cleverness. Other magicians would love to have those parlor tricks, though. I haven't seen any of them do anything that couldn't be sleight of hand, but a reputation in this sort of thing is surprisingly easy to keep up."

from_scratch

"Okay. Let's see, other reasons to end the monarchy. Last king they got turned up a little too prematurely dead? There is reason to believe that the winner of a prolonged succession battle at this time would serve his people poorly?"

connecticut_yankee