Chapter 18
Engrossed in study, Flicker focused the entirety of his mind upon taking in information. Hennessy and Piper, after having themselves a light meal, were both asleep. Flicker had been given free reign to do whatever, so he had chosen to study, and study hard. He approached study like he approached everything else; he threw himself at it and would smash himself against it until he succeeded.
Unbeknownst to him, the door opened and a lone pony entered. Flicker remained hyper-focused upon his book on chemistry and alchemy, fearing that he would fail his candle exam. There was just too much pressure and Flicker was beginning to feel a little worry. He had a lot riding on this, his entire future, and after many, many failures, he had to do better.
“Hello Flicker… need some help?”
Lifting his head, it took Flicker several long seconds to process what he was seeing. He gave Night Light a blank stare before he responded, “Uh, Mister—”
“Night Light, if you please. Mister Light sounds so ridiculous, don’t you agree?”
“I was just starting to study,” Flicker said to Night Light as the middle aged stallion sat down on the other side of the table.
“Well then, I arrived just in time.” Night Light smiled and looked very pleased with himself. “I have a gift for alchemy and I know that I can help you. So, what are we studying, Flicker?”
Flicker’s brain took several long seconds to organise all of the relevant facts and get them ready. “I was just starting to read about pyrethroids.”
“Ah, yes… and where does one find the pyrethroid compounds that Wicked uses in his candles?” Night Light leaned forwards over the table and there was an intense look of concentration in his eyes. “Come on, Flicker, don’t disappoint me. There are many who believe you are stupid, I am not one of them. You are methodical, Flicker, slow, careful, calculating, but not stupid.”
When his mouth went dry, Flicker licked his lips and wished that he wasn’t in so much pain. It made it very difficult to concentrate and his slowness seemed even more pronounced. “We harvest chrysanthemums and extract the compounds we need. Botanists have grown special chrysanthemums with mild, but useful magical properties, making them both chemical and alchemical in nature.”
“Very good, Flicker.” Night Light looked pleased. “Now, tell me, Flicker, why are the pyrethroids important in the creation of pesticidal candles?”
Blinking several times, Flicker’s brain pulled up all of the important information requested, but it took a while. He was good at killing things, gassing things, and setting things on fire. This fell under the category of ‘gassing things’ and was valuable information. Somewhere in the depths of his brain, in the deep, dark places where Princess Luna might be amused or terrified to go looking, construction was taking place on a filing spot for ‘exploding things.’ The first entry was filed under B, for bears.
“Excitotoxins. Pyrethroids are excitotoxins that affect the axons. They force the voltage-gated sodium channels in the axonal membranes to remain open in an excited state. It’s a membrane protein with hydrophilic properties. It breaks down partially charged water molecules from a sodium ion, allowing the sodium ion to enter the axon and aids in action potential.”
“Okay, keep going.” Night Light gave the colt a broad smile of encouragement.
“Under the effects of an excitotoxin, the channels are forced to remain open, they cannot repolarise, leaving the membrane depolarised, which causes paralysis in the affected organism.” Flicker sighed—gassing stuff was a very detailed file—and he was certain that he had most of the right information. His suspicions were confirmed by Night Light’s pleased nodding. “The fleas and other insect pests stop moving and can’t flee from the gas filled area.”
“It occurs me to me that you have the knowledge. I can tell that you’ve been studying under a doctor.” Night Light looked into Flicker’s eyes and continued, “You have an almost encyclopaedic knowledge of toxic compounds and poisons. You hold a remarkable wealth of knowledge for any age or standard. So I don’t think that’s the problem. Chemistry and alchemy… there is an art to them. Cooking up a candle is more than just book learning. How about you and I go to the laboratory and cook up a few single purpose candles just to see how you do? Paralytic agents, dissolving agents, and let’s see if we can make those work. Does that sound good, Flicker?”
That sounded good. Flicker liked the idea. Breaking it down to manageable tasks seemed like a reasonable thing to do. He nodded. “I’d like that. Thank you.”
“Very good, Flicker. Come with me…”
Opening the door to his room, Flicker paused as he looked inside. Piper was awake now, but bleary eyed, and eating an apple as she read a book. He watched as she stopped reading and looked at him. Glancing around the room, he saw Hennessy, also reading a book, a dictionary. Spud was doing his best rug impression on the floor in front of the window.
Nostrils crinkling, Piper whined, “You smell dreadful!”
“There was a fire,” Flicker said and he did not go into further details, he just shut the door behind him. In pain all over, he staggered over to his bunk, crawled in, and then lay in a heap as he wished that his mother was here to comfort him. She would know how to make all of this better somehow.
“Ugh, you stink!” Hennessy peered down at Flicker from the top bunk.
“I’m not toxic,” Flicker replied, “I was detoxed and Night Light used neutralising magic on me. The stink will wear off in a few hours, or so I was told. The stink of my failure will remind me to do better next time.”
“Just thought you should know, you should check the lost and found for your missing eyebrow.” Hennessy grinned even as his nose crinkled, and his ears perked when Piper started giggling.
“Oh, I know where my eyebrow went.” Flicker, who didn’t get the joke, closed his eyes and let out a sigh. His whole body ached and he was tired.
“How do you do it?” Piper asked. “Half of your body is a bruise and it is clear that you are in terrible pain, yet you go off and study?”
“The plague never takes a day off.” Flicker rolled over, kicked around, and managed to pull his blanket over him after pulling it out from beneath him. Yawning, he closed his eyes and hoped that his companions would be quiet, so that he could sleep.
Spud, who noticed that his favourite pony was in a warm, comfortable bed, lept up to join him.
Reaching out his forelegs, Flicker pulled Spud closer and cuddled his not-so-cuddly feline friend. Spud’s purring sounded like a chainsaw’s upper limit rev cycle and his fat, club-like tail thumped against the mattress. Flicker, in a rare display of affection, muzzle-nuzzled the mutant almost-cat-creature he held in his warm embrace.
In her bed, Piper somehow managed to look both disgusted and sappy as she watched Flicker and Spud exchange affection.
The dull, throbbing ache in his dock and his testicles made it difficult for Flicker to sit down. He was groggy, disoriented, and no doubt, dehydrated. There were a lot of things that Flicker didn’t know, like what time it was, how long he had slept, or what sort of mood Doctor Sterling was in. If he had to guess, it was sometime after the noon hour.
The frock coat was now a comfortable companion, even if it was just a little too big.
Piper, who was sitting to his left, was reading a book, and Hennessy, who sat on his right, was drawing something on a sheet of yellowed parchment paper. Doctor Sterling, who sat across from him at the table, was reading the newspaper. The four of them were waiting for tea, and Flicker hoped that there would be food as well.
Blinking, Flicker read the newspaper headline, which was in big, bold letters. BRAT PRINCE BATTLES BUREAUCRATS! CROWN GOVERNMENT BROUGHT TO A STANDSTILL! Something about the headline annoyed him, irritated him, no, even worse, it made him angry. He felt it was disrespectful, rude, and there was only one way to deal with rudeness and disrespect.
A good hard slap across the muzzle and a demand for satisfaction.
“Mister Nicker, are you okay?” Piper closed her book and put it down. “You’re breathing heavy and you look quite put out.”
“I don’t like what I’m seeing,” Flicker replied.
Confused, Piper began to look around, she looked at Hennessy, who was harmless and inoffensive as far as she could tell, she checked herself, and then she looked over at the doctor. Her brows rose as it dawned upon her that it was the newspaper that was the source of Flicker’s seeming distress.
“Ponies have the right to protest—”
“No, they don’t.” Flicker turned his heavy gaze upon Piper, who shrank back. “The Crown knows best. Ponies need to do as they are told, when they are told. If everypony did what they wanted, civilisation would fall. There would be anarchy. The Crown are our parents and we are very much like their offspring. We must respect, honour, and obey.”
The newspaper was closed, folded, and Doctor Sterling’s mustached face appeared. He focused upon Flicker for a time, and then looked over at Piper as one eyebrow rose. Piper, under the doctor’s serious scrutiny, squirmed in her seat and stared down at the floral printed tablecloth where her book rested.
“I never said that ponies had a right to protest in a way that brings harm to others,” Piper said in a squeaky, fearful voice, “but they do have a right to protest peacefully. And… and I bet I could change your mind on this issue, Mister Nicker.”
“This I’d like to see,” Doctor Sterling remarked.
Flicker, glowering, said nothing at all.
“When a foal cries, it is because they can’t always say when something is wrong, like if they need a diaper change, or they are hungry, or if they are just in need of comfort.” Piper gulped and with a slow turn of her head, she looked Flicker in the eye. “A foal has to be able to communicate with their parents somehow, even if that communication is crying, which grates upon the nerves and causes no end of frustration.”
“Hmm.” Hennessy, looking thoughtful, continued drawing.
“Now, when a foal is older, they can talk. They can reason. They can expressly communicate when something is wrong. To continue the parent to foal analogy, Mister Nicker, imagine if you will a parent tells a foal to go to bed. The foal does so, but after being in bed for a time, they are thirsty. We’ll go even further and say that there is something wrong with the foal, perhaps they have a mild fever, or a tummy ache, but something is wrong. Now, if they were to lay there in bed, doing exactly what they had been told, their condition might worsen… they might become even sicker… but if they get up out of bed and tell their parents that something is wrong and that they need a drink of water, is that so terrible? In this instance, disobedience is warranted.”
Flicker’s mind took in this information and began to processes it. Relevant files were called up from the depths and he thought about all of the times that his little sister had come to him for a drink. She wasn’t being willful, or disobedient, or disrespectful to her parents—she was thirsty, and sometimes she was scared, because it was nighttime and nighttime was scary time.
Foals needed a way to express when something was wrong and parents had an obligation to listen. Flicker’s mouth opened in preparation for something, but his mind was still dealing with Piper’s words. Flicker’s hard expression softened as he looked into Piper’s yellow-green eyes.
“I agree with you on principle,” Flicker said in a slow, halting voice. “Asking for a glass of water is fine. Throwing a temper tantrum however, is a whole ‘nother issue entirely and foals that pitch a fit need their ass beat.”
“I… I don’t know if I agree with that.” Piper shook her head. “Maybe the lines of communication broke down. Maybe somepony didn’t listen, and having a tantrum is the only way to get the attention needed on the issue. Maybe something really unfair is going on—”
“Miss Pie, you’re not going to change his mind any further today.” Doctor Sterling reached out and placed his fetlock atop Piper's foreleg, which rested against the table’s edge. “Give it rest and think of another convincing argument if you wish to stand a chance.”
Biting her lip, Piper nodded.
“Order is all we have. Order and organisation is how we hold back the plague. Order must be preserved at all costs, because it has been during times of anarchy and dissent, the breakdown of our valued social order, that the plague has hit us the hardest.” Flicker took a deep, calming breath and thought about pleasant, wonderful order.
“He is correct, Miss Pie. During our last civil war, there was a plague outbreak, and we were unable to combat it properly, due to the danger posed to our agency. Many died needless deaths, from both the war and the plague.” Doctor Sterling pulled his foreleg away and gave Piper a nod. “Just something for you to think about, Miss Pie, so you can understand his perspective.”
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There are reasons for arguments both ways.
Flicker has been trained to be a good soldier. We who have been in the military do tend to have a more (and I hate to use this word due to connotations) fascist view of the world. We almost have to, just to be able to function well in the military environment. This is the reason that military people, at least those that haven't been out for a few years, often make terrible political leaders.
That said, we can and do mellow out. Look at President Eisenhower, or President Washington, for example. Flicker is still too young, too fresh from 'boot', and far too inexperienced in general for his mental stance to soften. He just needs his muzzle rubbed in the way the 'real world' works, rather than staying in his bubble.
I don't think Flicker realized that authorities can make mistakes, or be negligent, or be wrong or even is working with incomplete information which can become counter productive to the organization or even society, and speaking out against it is the only way for them to realize it ore make the rest of the group be aware of the problem in order to fix it. there is also the issue that the higher ups are fallible and can be corrupted, abusing his station to there own ends, are completely disconnected with the rest of the population and willfully ignore the needs of their underling because they want to bother with it until it become impossible to ignore. When there aren't any other recourses to do other then to gather up and speak out. I can understand that for the past year Flicker has been living in a sticked and rigid teaching that doesn't tolerate mistakes and demands total submission from him and that he is conditioned to be a cogs in the organization and for good reasons. I wander what Flicker will do when he will be confronted with a superior that isn't working for the greater hold of the population, would her willfully blind himself to it with with work, and let him rein go unchallenged? I wander.
I wander if there is Plague Doctors who operate outside of the guild?
Hmm, a good question for Flicker might be, "And if the parent fails to provide and is instead causing harm, what then?"
Like Dr Sterling said in an earlier, democracy is really only effective as a method of governance if the population at large is educated, at least educated enough to understand and apply the principles of rhetoric and logic; one cannot reasonably know what to think if they don't at least know how to think (and still consistently reach a correct conclusion, at the least).
As we've seen, the population of Equestria at large is not educated, and at least a sizable portion of the bit that is educated still doesn't really know how to think. Or, like Mister Mariner, they are educated and may well know exactly how to think, but are sociopaths. Unfortunately, these are circumstances under which democracy does not work well. Thank the alicorns that we have Twilight Sparkle, trying to expand education to more of the masses so they, too, can learn how to think and stop all this nonsense.
I have a even better argument.
The roots of almost, almost, any political system, or organization system, are, in theory, perfect. None sane of mind comes with a political system with the objective of bring pain and suffering for a nation. "Look, I created communism. Its objective is to make your life, as a nation, a living hell."
No, communism, capitalism, socialism, heck, even fascism and nazism had, in the core, the objective of creating a better life for the nation, or, at least, the part of the nation that their creators considered worth being part of such nation.
But, then, comes the man. And the man is corrupt. And everything it touchs, specially power, becomes corrupt. And, then, the man twists the system in order to prevail above others, to get more power, he forgets the nation, he forgets anything in order to become more powerfull.
There is no fail-safe system. Any system will, eventually, create a man powerfull enough that he can twist the system in his/her favor, and he/she will be able to bring blind followers under his/her command. And, eventually, we´ll have some kind of all-powerfull being, a king, a dictator, you make the call.
7760218
Princess Twilight Sparkle is a rabble rouser! She's trying to teach individuality! Can you imagine! It's the breakdown of the entire herd structure! The horror, the horror!
Hmm... Night Light helping Flicker study felt very much like a pre-exam to me.
Gotta wonder whether this stems from an unwavering faith in authority in general, or just from revering the princesses as infallible gods or demigods. Either way, it looks like he's set himself up for some worldview shattering pretty soon.
Flicker is exactly the kind of character that someone like Discord would love to manipulate into destroying his own convictions.
7760225
What? No it isn't! Having individuality doesn't mean you aren't part of the herd. It just means you're making your own decisions about what's best for you, just like everybody else!
Ok, so when I say it out loud like that, sure, it does sound a little bit like anarchy, but that isn't the point!
So, the candles work by shutting locking up a rat's nervous ayatem? Badass.
And I'd personally describe Flicker as more Authoritarian than Fascist, but I'm certainly no expert, and there very well be more to his philosophy which you know and I dont--y'know, your being the author and all.
7760257
If one pony Panics, all of them panic. That is part of herd life. But if one pony is smart enough NOT to panic over what the rest of the herd panics over, they are disconnected from it. Also, take much of the Stiff Upper Lip Society. Many of them go into dangerous situations that almost every other pony in Equestria wouldn't put themselves in, they themselves being no longer part of the herd mentality because of it. Most ponies upon seeing somepony act a way different from what the herd would do and even capable of doing things other ponies aren't, tend to keep their distance. Look what happened during the Timberwolf attack with the gypsy caravan.
Ponies are gonna be against what Twilight is doing because it throws the basic herd values out the window. Hell, try bringing proper education to wherever the hell it is Hennesy is from, I wouldn't be surprised if the idiots there wouldn't eventually just murder any teachers that come and leave their bodies in the swamp, and that is because as a herd, that place is ignorant, bigoted and hateful towards anything that is outside their way off life.
Ponyville is one of the exceptions to all of this because with everything the ponies has been through there and the individuals it produces and draws in, they have begun, imo, to move past their basic herd instincts.
7760265
Flea candles, not rat candles.
Mammals are a bit more complex and if you recall, the rats move to the candle.
7760257 No but too much individuality puts you on the outskirts of the greater herd. Everyone is an individual with their own ideas on how things should be done, generally a fair percentage will be mostly like minded. It's when the ideas are a bit too far outside of mainstream and group get together on that train of thought you have conflicts. On the pro side, it might result in another political party vying for your vote, the con side, groups of anarchical protestors and lobbyists with no set agenda who are the true rabblerousers. Yet another bunch of hipster uni dropouts today invaded parliament here in Oz, protesting freedom of refugees on Manus island. What did they achieve, a temporary adjournment of the sitting, many of them arrested for causing public nuisance, forcibly removed in the public eye (who are sick of these whackos causing trouble) and otherwise mostly ignored except for attracting more nutters. Most of these people couldn't find the island on a map if they tried anyway.
Regarding the pro side again though, the number of parties on the ballot paper here this last election was something like 30 or 40 choices now. it's getting worse each election. I wonder who voted for the Australian Sex Party or the Bullet Train for Australia Party?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_political_parties_in_Australia
I doubt that the princesses want to be absolute authority indefinitely. The fact that pony society is so uneducated and so herd minded makes their rule the best current possible system. Celestia holds court and has people bring her issues so she doesn't ignore the voice of the population. They are just waiting for Twilight to reform the education system and have us go through a cultural reformation but that will take time generations in fact.
Speaking of which does Luna have her own school as well or is she the only alicorn (adult) without one? Celestia has a school primarily dedicated to advancing magical knowledge, Twilight has her school focused primarily on I guess it would be deemed fellowship and understanding, and Cadance has a school more dedicated to passions and social justice (from what I gathered). Surely Luna could have one more dedicated to military training, engineering, astrology, or something
All I know is that if Flicker ever has to deal with Pinkie Pie on much other than buying a cookie, I think his mind is going to lock up and seize. There is no order with that mare, just lots of sugar-induced party-related chaos.
7760304
Luna runs the guard. It keeps her busy.
7760305
Story idea!
Flicker Nicker is sent to Pinkie Pie's Super Happy Funtime Amusement Land For Grumps. There, he gets some much needed re-education.
Will Flicker have his mind changed eventually? Probably. Will someone take advantage of his loyalty before that happens? Perhaps...
7760315
Wow, that would be the first Weedverse story with the 'Dark', 'Horror' and 'Comedy' tags all at once!
7760284
Sounds like the natives in Papua New Guinea, how many missionaries were cannibalised before they started to listen I wonder?
7760304 It's called boot camp.
7760320 Maybe Discord needs to start a school of chaos to loosen up these stiff upper lip juniors?
Just a though.
Flicker is the very prototype of a Mary (Gary ?) Sue. In his area of work, he is already considered an expert, the very best that have ever been born, even being so young. Almost with infinite potential.
So, how do you make a good story, a good character, out of a Gary Sue ? In a way I wish the writers of Superman could do: you can´t break the (Super) man body, so you break his convictions.
The road for a change of view is already being constructed in front of Flicker...let´s see how his Gary Sue powers will work when everything he believe is right becomes dubious.
During one of their missions I want it to be so bad that they call in reinforcements. I want see what a large scale pest cleansing looks like.
7760265 Never agents are scary business most of them are banned by international treaties.
7760188 well, i have to agree with it as an ex army guy (we all are, here... well most) orders are to be followed given they were given by the right chain of command and are not conflicted to other laws.
7760189 it's not the authorities, for him it's the royalty, the princesses above all...
7760315 Pinkie's re-education camp
you will learn to smile, if you like it or not
7760315
7760402
Vee haff vays of makink you laff! Kupkake?
7760412
7760348
The term for the male Mary Sue is Gary Stu. You were close though. Also, the detonation of a bear was a good way to show Mister Nicker that he isn't prepared for all outcomes, just the ones relevant to his field. Beyond breaking his convictions, one could also break his confidence, have plague rats that have been magically altered to resist toxins, for example.
7760284
Let's make sure one thing here is clear before I go further, just so we can both be on the same page: No one ever moves past the basic herd instinct. It's biological programming to maximize the odds of survival, i.e. if the herd runs from danger, your best bet is to run from danger as well. What can be done is to alter that biological programming so that when the amygdala hijacks the brain and executes its default response, it is something other than, "Do what everyone else is doing!" and last long enough for the cortex to retake control and reengage rational thought.
What's happened with Ponyville is that the default herd response has been changed from "Do what everypony else is doing!" to "Follow Princess Twilight's instructions for this situation." This carries over to other aspects of life, so that when something new comes along that they don't understand or know how to deal with, their first response is to see if they were given instructions for a similar situation and do that. Their second response is to see what Twilight — or ostensibly any of the other Bearers — is doing and then emulate her behavior. As it is, Twilight does what she can to encourage others to look at the available data and then decide for themselves what they think it means, and usually it works, but they'll still do what Twilight does because she knows best. (we don't see the same behavior from ponies like Sumac because he spent most of his life having to do that already as Trixie always encouraged him to indulge his curiosity, so when presented with something unfamiliar, he tries to understand it rather than just look to his authority figures; the natural consequence of this is that he challenges them on almost everything until they supply a satisfactory answer, block him until he gets frustrated and leaves them alone, or threaten punishment if he doesn't obey. This is actually very good because it often forces those same authority figures to reevaluate why they believe certain things, and sometimes they even change their mind. This, I feel, is Sumac's true contribution to pony society)
In the village that Hennesy comes from, his father is their Princess Twilight; he has established himself as the authority on the unusual. When something comes along that they don't understand or know how to deal with, and they don't have a similar experience to draw from, they see what he does and then emulate his behavior. The default herd response has changed from "Do what everyone else is doing!" to "Do what Pa Walker is doing!" The quality of any one community is limited by the quality of its leadership. The problem there is not that the village leadership doesn't see value in education or critical thinking, but that the leadership doesn't see value in anything that doesn't immediately satisfy its own desires. In this way, Mr Walker and Mr Mariner are alike; they are sociopaths who think that life is a zero-sum game, and that their individual success depends directly on the collective failures of everyone else.
This is why knowing how to think is instrumental in knowing what to think, and why authority figures must at every turn be interrogated on the rationale for their decisions. Authority figures like Mr Walker exploit the naivety of others for their own personal gain, and in doing so destroy the integrity of society by unjustly subjugating others to their will rather than allowing them agency to make their own decisions.
The mask means different things to different ponies, but to the ponies that wear them, the mask always allows them to see their desires and begin to actualize their full potential. At a very fundamental level, the mask represents the same thing to everypony: Liberty.
7760599
As for your SPOILERS content, this is spot on. Nice work.
7760605
Well, enjoy it.
I don't know where it came from, and I doubt it's ever going to come back.
7760641 i hope it will.... it was fun and educating to read your thoughts
Oh dear, what did Gosling do this time?
7761105
Rats are already swimming in the river, river monsters, hungry fish, and rapacious nature.
Seems like you've got a serious case of the Murdock's. I recommend siccing Flicker on it.
(Piper has a very good point. But I wouldn't count overdramatic insulting character attacks as "protest")
Well, I do see what you mean by 'proto-fascist'.
7760348 Sure he's kind of a prototype Gary Sue, but his very strength is also his greatest weakness. His single minded determinism to excel and push himself beyond his limits with everything he sees as valuable that directly relates to his job, is also the very thing that keeps him from better able to rise to the highest ranks of his profession and interact well with others.
For Example: The plank joke and how Nicker thought that due to his failure, he asked if he should throw himself overboard out of the airship. HIs lack of understanding of humor is a detriment, as he can't always tell when people are not being serious.
Another example: The fact that NOBODY thinks it's a good idea to make him a public figure of their Guild.
He is a Soldier through and through, but he is a rather narrow minded solider. As he is now, while he could be the best rat killer that the Guild could ever see in his lifetime, he will never be the leader of the Guild if he keeps at it as he is now.
He is not a perfect specimen of Pony kind, but more like he is overly specialized and takes penalties at anything not directly related to killing rats and disease. Things like his ability to relate to other ponies are one of those things that have been stunted, so that he can be a more badass fighter.
Plus with the bear, a bear is very strong and powerful, but a bear is also very dumb. The bear fights with instincts, not really planning or plotting or thinking ahead. It's strategy is just "Hit something unti it dies". Meanwhile, Nicker was able to defeat it using his Nimbleness, Strategy, and Tools. If he didn't have th dynamite then he would have been FUCKED. If he had only one sword, he also would have been screwed. His superior training and weaponry were the reasons why he came out ahead.
Also keep in mind that Nicker is different, while other colts might like to take time for themselves to do things like Play or Read for Pleasure, Nicker would rather Train, Exercise, or Study. That is a big key to his success. He just simply works HARDER and LONGER than most everyone else.
I've got a question...
The princesses, on the whole, have been portrayed as basically always reasonable and always right. I cannot think of mamy cases where they did something that was portrayed like having widespread bad effects, and the times it had it was subtle and not something the populace would notice, or more rightly someone else's fault and the princesses only problem was accidentally setting it up or not noticing it was a problem fast enough.
And the bureaucracy and nobility are pretty much always being portrayed as petty, small minded, and only concerned about themselves.
Given those things, I have a hard time believing that Gosling is in the wrong and that the protest is good and the protesters have a good point. How, in a world where the princesses are always good and usually right are angry protests supposed to be a good thing?
To put it another way, in a world where the authority is portrayed as as good as the princesses are, why would being anti authority be anything but wrong?
7760323 Less than is commonly claimed. The eating of long pig was specific to a handful of tribes. The Korowai spring to mind. Others of course still killed intruders, as most countries did for problematic groups. Cannibalism was also largely considered an honour for WORTHY enemies. Most would just have been killed and left to local wildlife. The idea that the whole island was full of cannibals was deliberately perpetuated later as it gave an excuse for racist imperialist dogma, now it is kept mainly cause it attracts morbid tourists.
Problem is, with everyone talking about how Flicker's wrong... in this situation he is right. This is Gosling's battle with the evil part of the system. The greedy, backwards, bigoted, secretive, totalitarian bureaucracy that soured while the Crown had trusted in it to help it rule and carry out the good-natured wishes of their rulers. Now they act as if they are the rulers.
Flicker is 100% correct in this case, trying to say he's wrong is asinine, as it's supporting the same sort of pony and establishment that everyone cheered Twilight Velvet for helping to tear down.