dramatispersonae | CARNELIAN

CARNELIAN

[You are standing in an amphitheatre constructed of off-white marble with several rows of seats surrounding you on all sides; in the performance space at the bottom is another banquet table, with fourteen different crowns placed upon it. They are, in no particular order:

A jeweled tiara lined with diamonds
A crown of wheat
A faded kokoshnik
A coronet with its jewels missing
A gold diadem
A civic crown made out of oak leaves
A mural crown
A naval crown missing a sail
A hoop crown missing the top insignia
A crown of thorns
A striped nemes
A crown of dandelions
A plain modius
A coronation crown with beading on the side falling off]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[he takes off his glasses and straightens his hair a bit, so his face is completely visible. His body language shifts too, chest slightly puffed out with confidence and a calm smile on his face.]

A ruler... what is a ruler without his people, mm? No one, of course. Nothing. But a ruler who governates with an iron fist, telling his subordinates how to live and what to think is perhaps even less than that.

So I turn to you, my people—no, my brothers and sisters, invaluable friends who with all their hopes and dreams shape me into the person I am. Do not ever let anyone take away your autonomy. Many will try, without doubt, to enslave you with their ideas, to restrain you with foolish rules, and make you believe they know better. But no one knows better than yourselves and you should trust your judgment—which is my judgment too, to be the best.

Together, we will stand up against anyone who chooses to oppose us. Because rules were created to be smashed and replaced with our own ideals, our own choices. Together, we are invincible, and as long as our trust in each other does not falter, no one will be able to rise higher than us.