[Faction Paradox 01] - This Town Will Never Let Us Go by Lawrence Miles

Author:Lawrence Miles [Miles, Lawrence]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Lawrence Miles, Time Lords, Doctor Who, Faction Paradox
Publisher: Mad Norwegian Press
Published: 2003-10-14T23:00:00+00:00

4. First Light

4.00 Let’s Get to the Point:

What does Inangela expect the various archons and higher powers of Faction Paradox, the real Faction Paradox, to actually look like?

Not a lot. Inangela, like Tiffany and like Valentine and like so many others, grew up in a world where if something wasn’t watched by a sizeable audience then it didn’t matter; where if you did something stupid, it was a wise precaution to give a knowing sideways glance to the Fourth Wall, just in case. Inangela stopped believing she was the star of her own TV show at age twelve, although the process left her with a deep-rooted attachment to the modern media’s procedures without her having any real interest in the content.

In her world every event must be closely monitored, if not scripted in advance. Everything must begin with the opening theme and end with the credits. Scene-changes must be clearly marked out. Frequently, she’s said things to Horror like, ‘Whatever happens, I don’t want to end up eating at Mr. Cod’s Pantry,’ just because she knows for a fact that they will end up at Mr. Cod’s Pantry and wants to make it easier for someone to splice the two scenes together. Thus cutting out the dull car journey in-between.

What does Faction Paradox look like? It looks like the audience she’s never really tried to picture, a faceless mass of expectation, the crowd for whom she’s currently performing this ritual. The ersatz bone-face, which currently rests in her jacket pocket again, has no inherent mystical function and just marks her out as one of the interesting people. One of the Us. One of the few who’s actually worth watching.

4.01 Or:

What does Valentine expect the various archons and higher powers of Faction Paradox, the real Faction Paradox, to actually look like?

Unlike most of the population, he doesn’t expect them to wear masks. Masks have been known, among the secret ranks and orders of the past. One such mask, claimed by many to be the ancestor of the modern Faction mask, was known to the British Royal Society until at least 1799 (though God knows what youth-culture-minded individual might have resurrected the design). But then, members of eighteenth century secret societies also wore knee-length socks and powdered wigs. That doesn’t mean they’d be seen dead doing it today. Or not seen. Whichever is most appropriate.

If there’s one thing Valentine’s learned, from his years of associating with radicals and pretend-radicals, extremists and exhibitionists, it’s that nobody who gets things done ever wears a badge. He can’t be sure whether the Faction which now “advises” him really is the inheritor of a centuries-old political and philosophical wisdom, but he knows it hardly matters.

No real revolutionary would ever go masked. The first thing the Faction told him.

He’s well aware there’s a particularly crafty double-meaning in that piece of wisdom. He hasn’t yet figured out there’s also a hidden joke thrown into the mix.

4.02 Or Even:

What does Tiffany Korta expect the various archons and higher powers

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.