⚒ 002 | text

[rocked]

I haven't forgotten a thing, so I'm not going to talk about that... assuming that's allowed.

[it's hard to tell over text, but she means that in a little bit of a bratty, sarcastic way, poking fun at the virus panic]

If we're all really from different worlds-- yeah, I believe that now-- does that mean nobody here is from my world? How do I find out for sure?

[also not visible through text, but she pauses here, thinking, before continuing to type]

My country's called Panem. We have twelve districts and they all serve the Capitol. That's enough to go by, isn't it?

[unless there's more than one Panem out there, but... she's not going to think about that possibility unless someone actually confirms it]

Comments

[papillio_tempestatis]

There's no particular reason someone else couldn't be from your world, but there are a lot of people who simply don't have "neighbors", I suppose you could call them. Me, for instance.

I've never heard of a country called Panem, but considering the Empire tends to deny anything outside its borders exists, that hardly rules it out.

[rocked]

There aren't any other countries on my planet, not anymore.

[that she knows about, anyway]

[hasbottombunk]

I've never heard of a place like that, but that doesn't mean there isn't someone one else here from there. There are quite a few people here after all.

[rocked]

Do you know how many?

[hasbottombunk]

No, not for certain anyway. But there are new people showing up all the time.

[rocked]

I guess on a network like this it's not so important to get a headcount.

[papillio_tempestatis]

... "Aren't any other countries" as in "everything outside this country is a howling waste full of invisible vampire ghosts" or as in "country covers the entire planet"?

[rocked]

Ha ha.

The first one, I guess.

[there aren't any other countries that the Capitol lets its citizens know about, anyway-- and Clove knows barely anything about anything outside of her district]

[papillio_tempestatis]

That's certainly not a guarantee of there not being any other countries.

In case you're wondering, yes, that is exactly the story the Empire tells its citizens. The world beyond the wall is a wasteland with nothing of value in it, populated only by invisible, bloodsucking ghosts.

[rocked]

The Capitol doesn't have any reason to lie about that. And even if they did, I wouldn't care. It wouldn't mean anything to me.

[papillio_tempestatis]

Really? The Empire has plenty of reasons to lie about it. It would have more if most of the people weren't too complacent to bother questioning it.

And I know the Empire is lying, because my father has been to the world outside. And while I admire my father, I do not think he has the imagination to come up with half of the things he claims to have seen.

[rocked]

Your empire isn't my country.

[papillio_tempestatis]

Did I say it was?

[rocked]

You sound like you're arguing about how bad your country is.

[papillio_tempestatis]

Yes. About how bad my country is. I certainly didn't mean to draw any conclusions about yours.

[rocked]

Right, but I wasn't saying you were wrong about your country. You don't have to defend yourself.

[papillio_tempestatis]

You sounded like you thought I was casting aspersions on yours.

[rocked]

Nah.

[papillio_tempestatis]

Really? I must have been mistaken then. [Code for: You're either really sarcastic or way too gullible. Without any self-awareness at all on Butterfly's part.]

Anyway. My name is Pretty Butterfly, by the way.

[rocked]

Pretty Butterfly?

[papillio_tempestatis]

The community insists on translating it, I don't know why. It's a perfectly normal name in the Empire.

[rocked]

You can't write it in its original form?

[papillio_tempestatis]

Well, I can. I just really don't see the point most of the time; all it does is save a little snickering. It gets translated back to me either way.

Since you ask, though, it's 蛱嬛. Jiá Xuan.

[plainflush]

I'd like to know more about that, too, actually. Though, um, I haven't heard of Panem before, sorry. So I guess that means we're on different worlds?

[hasbottombunk]

Nah. It's more important to look out for the viruses, anyway.