A short story by The Lyniezian which again features the Jenny Everywhere character in a supporting role. It's mostly about a woman called Megan who has spent time accompanying Jenny on her adventures, and who has to deal with an awkward encounter with someone from her past, growing up in an oppressive alternate Britain. The most current version can be found on the author's blog here.
Another story by the same author, The Maybe Invasion is a companion piece, dealing with Megan's younger sister Alice.
Tropes present in this work include:
- Alien Space Bats: Not outright stated, but there is a reference to a mysterious "Event" bringing about the Commonwealth.
- Alternate Universe: in which Britain has endured an oppressive regime and later being taken over by a version of Lyniezianote from another alternate universe.
- Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: Not in the story but the content warning at the beginning:Warning: Contains mentions of torture and attempted rape as part of the backstory. Also the odd four-letter word for those offended by such.
- Attempted Rape: What one of the Int Sec interrogators tried on Megan before the Sec Mon had the offender put before a firing squad.
- Butch Lesbian: Implied somewhat with Megan, to the extent she shows tomboyish traits in her youth and is offhandedly stated to have formed romantic relationships with other women from time to time, none of whom are Jenny. It's not outright stated whether she isn't interested in men, however.
- Cold-Blooded Torture: Performed by the Int Sec on anyone they suspected, wanted information out of or generally wanted to pin a confession out of.
- Creator Provincialism: Set in the author's hometown. The eponymous park is a real location.
- The Glorious War of Sisterly Rivalry: Megan and her younger sister Alice are stated not to get on and never talk to each other. This is explained more in The Maybe Invasion.
- Heterosexual Life-Partners: Jenny and Megan. (Although neither of them are strictly heterosexual.)
- Historical In-Joke: The oppressive regime being a "Commonwealth" ruled over by a "Lord Protector" as a nod to the days of Oliver Cromwell.
- Lampshade Hanging: Concerning the fact that certain characters were sending actual paper letter despite the fact it's 2034.Jenny, visibly somewhat distrustful and puzzled by this latest revelation (and only barely paying attention to the equally puzzling fact that people still wrote actual letters placed in actual envelopes), took both envelopes.
- Loophole Abuse: Megan seems to have delighted in finding any way round the laws that restrict what she can do as a girl or prevent her from having any form of enjoyment.
- Obvious Beta: As with The Genesis of Jenny Everywhere, lampshaded in the blog post for the fact it was initially just put up there when still rough around the edges.
- People's Republic of Tyranny: The "Commonwealth" is a pretty straight example. The "Interdimensional Federal Republic of Lyniezia" less so, though it does engage in imperialism.
- Secret Police: The Int Sec or Internal Security Service to which Jack Thompson formerly belonged is a straight example. It's an official and recognised service but operates very much under a cloak of secrecy. There's also Sec Mon (Security Monitoring Service) designed to keep an eye on the secret police, though it's implied to be rare they actually care about too many individual cases.
- Self-Deprecation: The backstory for this tale (according to Word of God). Quite obvious with the "Lyniezia" references but also the Commonwealth was originally meant to be a Deconstructive Parody of his silly dictator fantasies and former religious fundamentalism. This story is intended to take a more serious approach, though.
- Shout-Out:
- The Newspeak-like abbreviations for the various State Sec agencies is meant to be reflective of George Orwell's seminal dystopia Nineteen Eighty-Four, to add to the dystopian flavour.
- Thompson's attempted defence of his actions that whatever he did, he "always put Britain first" is a not-too-subtle, darkly satirical reference both to the political group Britain First, and the alleged words of Thomas Mair, killer of late Member of Parliament Jo Cox.
- Strawman Political: Jack Thompson is this to an extent regarding extreme responses to terrorism, Lyniezia a little bit as regards "liberating" oppressive regimes. Mostly for not-very-well-hidden satire.
- Stay in the Kitchen: The Commonwealth's attitude to women and girls is pretty much stated to have been this; a thing Megan resented and tried to rebel against.
- Who Watches the Watchmen?: The purpose of Sec Mon is to watchdog the security services, ostensibly at least.
