It's a Satrap!

[avatar (Alistair Young)]

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@Robert Houghton <sudragon2k3@gmail.com> on 2017-04-03 03:59:29 wrote

“Orbital Consequences” sounds like a good name for a ship. ‘Friendly and Optional Advice’ sounds like a good name for a Culture ship

@Jade Nekotenshi <nekotenshi0@gmail.com> on 2017-04-03 09:23:19 wrote

It does at that…

You know, that points at a key set of differences between the Culture and the Empire, it does. There’s something about the Culture that leaves me feeling like I just took a bath in chip-oil. I get the distinct feeling that the Empire and the Culture would drive each other absolutely, positively nucking futs.

@Mark Atwood <me@mark.atwood.name> on 2017-04-11 18:43:38 wrote

They are both expansionist and self idealist. That will cause conflict. They won’t go to war over each other’s existence, because war is stupid and expensive, and not fun, as there is a lot of galaxy to fill, at least, not for a long long time, before they start running out of galaxy to fill. OTOH, they do have some deeply different axioms. The Culture is “the happy fun place, fun fun fun fun fun!”, and the Empire is “be excellent at imprinting yourself on the universe, and when we imprint ourselves on it hard enough, we will FIX IT!”

It’s the difference between a rich old money scion who is spending his trust money on drugs and orgies, vs the self made billionaire who isn’t going to stop working hard, just because he’s now rich, because now he has enough money to actually Get Real Shit Done. They both will pity and look down at the other.

@Mark Atwood <me@mark.atwood.name> on 2017-04-11 18:45:15 wrote

The Culture also told me more than I really wanted to know, but I’m glad I know, about both it’s author, and many of the literary setting’s fandom.

@Jade Nekotenshi <nekotenshi0@gmail.com> on 2017-04-17 21:36:26 wrote

Also, I’m curious about what you mean regarding the fandom here, though I suspect it’s something I’ve already begun to smoke about a lot of people. (Suffice it to say there’s a standard joke about my handle, which is ha-ha-only-serious.)

@Jade Nekotenshi <nekotenshi0@gmail.com> on 2017-04-17 21:35:10 wrote

That about sums up my thinking on the matter. Give or take.