#the brass prison || story 1

[spacemagicandlaserswords]

The Clone Wars 5.18 ‘The Jedi Who Knew Too Much' Reaction

I always like trying to spot which characters are in the background of big group scenes like this. So far I’ve spotted 3 admirals (Coburn, Yularen and Tarkin), assorted jedi, Master Sinube, Kit Fisto, Bail Organa and I think that’s Mon Mothma as well. 

Oh, hi again Barriss. Fancy seeing you here again! Funny that we keep meeting like this after so long.

I think that’s Ki-Adi-Mundi and Plo next to Barriss.

So, Barriss killed one of her childhood mentors? I’m probably going to collate my thoughts on Barriss at the end of this arc, rather than scattering them across various recaps. But so much of her characterisation here doesn’t make sense and doesn’t feel right, at all.

I’m not sure if I mentioned this in the recaps when Barriss first appeared, but why is she British?

There’s a shot of 6 beams of light going up from the floor so I’m presuming that means 6 Jedi died in the temple bombings, which seems like an awfully large amount. What were 6 Jedi doing in a hanger of the temple? 1 or 2, maybe 3 at a stretch, makes sense, but 6? I’m guessing this is a story telling decision to make it more impactful, rather than for any logical in-universe reason.

I really despise Tarkin.

Oh, so now the deaths of clones are convenient for you Tarkin. “Military matter” my arse.

Who are the military police? Is that not the Coruscant Guard? I know the general fandom take is that the Corries are saddled with having to do everything but is that the case in canon?

Ahsoka’s angry attitude is definitely going to come back and bite her in the arse later.

“Remember, revenge is not the Jedi way.” says the future DARTH VADER

“Nothing will ever change.” FORESHADOWING KLAXON

Ok, Tarkin is getting very close to being up there with Krell and Nolan. His fucking contemptuous finger waggle at Ahsoka. Ugh.

“I assure you that he [Palps] rarely does anything without a strategy.” Oh, if only you knew Tarkin. Or maybe he does? Hmmm.

Is Barriss a Jedi Knight here or is she still a Padawan? I haven’t seen Luminara anywhere so I’m guessing she’s a Knight by now.

Barriss seems a lot more conflicted and upset than I thought for someone that’s just bombed the Jedi temple and killed a childhood mentor who clearly meant a lot to her. Maybe she’s regretting what she’s done? Hmmm, not sure.

Saleucami! I hope Cut and Suu and the kids are doing ok.

Lmao that ominous brass section was not subtle. FOREBODING KLAXON

Why do they have the Venator shipping yards next to the prison?

That shot of the prison felt very Imperial Empire. All stark architecture, sharp shadows, black and white lighting, red flags and giant symbols everywhere. It’s interesting how Imperial iconography and visuals are starting to creep into Republic locations and situations. Something something visual metaphor about the end approaching.

Why is the memorial to the clones outside the prison? Or is this not the prison and is some other building? Is this the same clone memorial that Crosshair and Cody have their little chat in front of in The Bad Batch?

Corries! Wow, they do all match and have exactly the same armour paint. 

FOX!

That grumpy “Yes?” spoke volumes.

Fox, can you not cross your arms properly? What was that? I’m guessing it was more of a functional animation limitation than Fox not actually being unable to cross his arms. Insert your own fandom theories here about injuries that Palps inflicted on him while torturing him or similar that meant he can't cross his arms. Maybe he's got Force lightning burns across his back and it's painful and pulls when he moves too much.

The scan has Ahsoka standing there with her arms out but then the next shot of her is with her arms crossed? Continuity, hello?

At “Leave your comlink and lightsabers here.” Fox gestures down with his index and middle finger outstretched next to each other and oh boy did my mind go straight to the horny bin.

“Follow me.” Omg Fox did you have to say that in such a low, husky voice? That had a distinct feel of ‘Come with me if you want to live’ about it. If Fox basically whispered that to me it’d be “Sir, yes Sir, immediately Sir, however you want me Sir.”

The reference to the first 4 notes of the Imperial March theme there was pretty damn obvious. I remember reading a really interesting theory that Fox was a prototype for Vader and basically functioned as Palps’ attack dog before he turned Anakin to the Dark Side. I wish I could find it again because it was a fascinating read and might explain the presence of the Imperial March here. The music for the entire scene from when Ahsoka entered the prison was particularly foreboding, which makes sense seeing as it’s a prison. However, I’m not entirely sure who the theme is referencing because I don’t think it’s Ahsoka and Anakin isn’t here. Or perhaps it’s just adding to the general foreboding atmosphere. It’s entirely possible I’m reading too much into this.

Surely there are cameras and microphones recording this information that Letta is telling Ahsoka?

Is Barriss Force choking Letta from outside the prison? If so, then she’s fallen quite a long way to the Dark side because that seems like quite a powerful use of the Force.

That shot from the camera in the cell is definitely going to make it look like Ahsoka is the one choking Letta. And how convenient, the feed from that camera just cut out too.

Lmao Fox didn’t even hesitate. He was ready to fuck shit up. 

Oh hey, Fox also duel wields. 

Hmmm, I’m not sure how I feel about Fox immediately arresting Ahsoka. I think this is another example of the struggle I have with canon Fox vs fanon Fox. I’m going to have to collate my thoughts on that somewhere as well, probably after the chip conspiracy arc *sobs*. I think I’ve come to the realisation that I’m going to have to treat them as completely separate characters. I adore the version of Fox that the fandom has created. And every time I see the tiny bits of canon Fox that we get, it’s almost like a disappointment compared to the depth and layers of fanon Fox, to the point that canon Fox almost feels out of character. I know he doesn’t have any choice in the matter (none of the clones do) and I’m viewing this from an outside perspective looking in. I guess it’s more of an interesting conundrum to be aware of.

That shot of the prison felt even more evil Imperial Empire than the first one.

Great, fucking Tarkin again. Accompanied by hints of the Imperial March while marching down a stark corridor with harsh, ominous lighting. Definitely leaning on the Imperial Empire visuals this episode.

Called it. The footage from the cell is being used to frame Ahsoka as choking Letta. And the sound didn’t work either. How convenient.

Called it again. Tarkin using Ahsoka’s earlier attitude against her. Attitude doesn’t feel like the right word but it’s far too early in the morning and I can’t think of the right one.

Tarkin makes understandable points if this was some kind of detached, impersonal debate about an imaginary situation. But it’s not. He’s just being a deliberately abusive bastard. Definitely getting up there with Krell and Nolan.

Anakin being very Dark Side there when threatening Fox.

Who is helping Ahsoka escape? Is it Barriss? I don’t think it’s Anakin because he arrives after Ahsoka escapes. Plus clones were killed and injured and while we just saw Anakin threaten them and be all very Dark Side about it, I don’t think he’s fallen far enough to that level of Sithliness yet. 

Utterly unnecessary acrobatics but ok.

“If you see the target, shoot to kill.” Oh no, that is some painful foreshadowing right there.

Fucking yes, thank you Rex. Knew we could count on Rex to believe in Ahsoka. 

“Then who did?” Fox asking the question we’re all wondering.

Why is Anakin telling Rex to call security when Fox, the Commander of the Coruscant Guard, is right there? Surely he is the security?

How does Anakin telling Rex to tell security to search the entire base translate to an all-points bulletin on Ahsoka?

You can really tell from Rex’s voice how much this is affecting him. How he can’t believe that Ahsoka could do this. It was almost like he didn’t want to issue the order that he had to. I’m really glad that someone apart from Anakin believes Ahsoka, and that it’s Rex. Of course we could rely on our king. He can’t actually do anything to help her though. None of the clones can. They’re slaves. They have to follow orders. But at least we actually get to see that Rex doesn’t believe Ahsoka is capable of this and that he believes her, and believes in her. We’ve seen Rex’s belief and trust in Ahsoka crop up a few times now. The most obvious being his defence of her to Tarkin in the Citadel arc. 

Complete switch of tone but Rex, do you ever clean your armour? I know he’s busy fighting a war and all that but I’ve noticed his armour being especially dirty in a number of episodes now. It’s particularly noticeable on his bucket. That’s a lot of gunk and grime across the top of his visor.

Wtf is that giant vehicle and isn’t that just a little bit of overkill for trying to find one Jedi Padawan? I feel like there’s a point about excessive police violence in there somewhere.

So many of the shots of the prison feel very Imperial Empire. They’d barely have to change anything to make the switch from the Republic to the Empire. That’s probably the point too.

Grizzer!

Hound sounded distinctly Aussie there. More funkiness happening with the clones' accents.

Thunder and lightning? That is hilariously on the nose.

Clone troopers shooting like stormtroopers. Fanon Fox would not stand for this lack of accuracy from his Corries. He has standards and he expects them to be met.

Jhc they just used a canon to fire on a child. Fuck me that is far too excessive.

“Set weapons to stun.” The foreshadowing is causing me great, deep pain.

Ahsoka is deflecting stun bolts so I’m guessing the training that happens in episode 5 ‘Practice Makes Perfect’ of Tales of the Jedi has happened already? I wish I could find a resource of where all these episodes happen in the timeline and around which dates they happen as well.

We need to talk about the kama, because I am now utterly befuddled about which clones can get one. 

Hound has a kama, but he’s an ARF (Advanced Recon Force) Scout Trooper. 

The other ARF trooper in the Coruscant Guard also has a kama. 

Fox has a kama and he’s a clone commander and the Commander of the Coruscant Guard but he isn’t listed as having ARC training. 

I think I’ve seen other Corrie Guard commanders with kama’s as well. 

Rex, Fives and Echo (and eventually Jesse) all have kama's and they are ARCs. 

Cody is a clone commander and The Marshal Commander but he doesn’t have a kama and isn’t listed as having ARC training (I cannot believe that The Marshal Commander Cody doesn’t have ARC training but that’s another point for another time). 

Ponds had a kama and was a clone commander but isn’t listed as having ARC training. 

Bly is a Marshal Commander and has ARC training and has a kama. 

Wolffe is a clone commander and has a kama but isn’t listed as having ARC training (I also can’t believe that Wolffe doesn’t have ARC training either but that’s the same point as Cody so for another time). 

Keeli was a captain, not a commander, isn’t listed as having ARC training but did have a kama. 

So what decides whether a clone can have a kama or not? I thought it was an ARC thing but clearly not seeing as other clones that aren’t ARCs can have one.

They’re mobilising a giant rolling tank thing and gunships to hunt down a child? This is definitely beyond excessive. I know at this point Ahsoka is considered armed and dangerous but she’s also A Child. This just feels completely excessive and cruel. And not that far removed from the Empire, which, again, is probably the point.

And now it’s raining. Because of course it is.

“Do not shoot to kill.” I hate all of this foreshadowing. All of it.

What are these pipelines supposed to be for? I’m guessing not petrol seeing as nothing has exploded yet.

That is a lot of skill from Ahsoka to be able to deflect multiple repeated stun bolts while sprinting flat out.

Did you just really fire on a child with a fucking rocket launcher?!

Oddball, what are you doing? I know you’re just following orders but you don’t have to sound so gleeful about it. Also, why is his helmet yellow? Actually that kind of looks like 212th orange. I thought Oddball was in the 501st? A quick google says he’s in the 212th but none of the search results seem particularly definitive or legit. If he is part of the 212th, what is he doing on Coruscant? We saw Obi-Wan on a holocall at the start of the episode talking about going to the Anoat system so presumably the 212th is there, and not on Coruscant?

Is this the first time we see Ahsoka do the move of cutting a hole in the floor with her lightsaber?

Ah, so the pipes are for water. Or at least I think they are.

Anakin is looking particularly conflicted and upset throughout all of this.

TW: Discussion of abuse below. If you want to skip this, it's the section between the three dashes '---'

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That exchange at the end between Ahsoka and Anakin was very interesting. Anakin is making some fairly reasonable and understandable points, which is intriguing given he’s characterised as the opposite of that most of the time. It’s another insight into how complex of a character he is. I think TCW has done a very good job of showing not only the depth and complexity to Anakin’s character but also how much more there was to his fall to the Dark Side. He is undoubtedly aggressive, possessive, abusive, and dangerous. Yet he’s also being groomed by a monster in a position of power that no one even notices or realises before it’s all too late. He was also a slave and had an abusive and traumatic childhood and seems to falling into the pattern of how abusees can often turn into abusers.

Amongst all of this, you can also see how much he cares for those who mean a lot to him. He and Rex are the only ones that believe Ahsoka, but Anakin is the only one in any meaningful position of power with the ability to do something about it. It’s plainly obvious how much he cares for Ahsoka.

However, that care and belief still veers too far into aggression and possession and he continues to cross the line multiple times with unacceptable actions and behaviour. I wonder if he lets Ahsoka go at the end of the episode because he trusts her or because he doesn’t know what to do?

---

Ahsoka was also making wholly valid and understandable points, which I think Anakin knew as well, even as he was trying to convince her to come back. Is this the first time we hear Ahsoka call Anakin by his first name? She usually calls him ‘Master’ or ‘Skyguy’ and her use of his first name here feels particularly personal and loaded with meaning. I’m glad Ahsoka knows that at least Anakin trusts and believes her, even when no one else does.

I wanted to include this gif because look at Rex looking like James Bond in the background being framed by the pipe.

Then this gif and the two above made me realise another thing about Anakin.

TW: Discussion of abuse and domestic violence below. If you want to skip this, it's the section between the three dashes '---'

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As much as Anakin cares about Ahsoka and is trying to help her, his possession and controlling is very evident here. The way he said "I would never let anyone hurt you Ahsoka" felt very much like something a domestic abuser would say after hurting their partner. Or what a possessive and controlling domestic abuser would say to their partner. There's a dangerous and desperate edge to it. You can also see Anakin doesn't agree with what Ahsoka is doing and is angry at her for not doing it his way. He thinks his way is the best way to try and fix this and of course he immediately gets pissed as soon as someone doesn't do what he says and follows what he thinks should be done. Anakin is refusing to let Ahsoka go, even while trying to help her. His possession and controlling is still here, even if it isn't as overt as when he's with Padmé.

---

The voice acting throughout TCW has been pretty damn excellent and Ahsoka is no different. Ashley Eckstein did a fantastic job. But it felt like it stepped up another level, particularly in that exchange between Ahsoka and Anakin at the end. There was so much emotion and upset and betrayal in Ahsoka’s voice. 

There is the subtlest of hints of the Imperial March after Ahsoka jumps and we get a shot of Anakin, Rex and Fox at the mouth of the tunnel, followed by a shot of Ahsoka falling. It’s very subtle, probably the subtlest I’ve heard throughout the whole series but it’s definitely there. The intervals between the notes of the Imperial March are very distinct. Again, I’m not sure what it’s referencing or emphasising here. Probably Anakin seeing as he does turn into Darth Vader. But like the scene earlier where Ahsoka first enters the prison, it also feels slightly out of place. Usually when the Imperial March turns up, it’s fairly clear that it’s referring to Anakin, like when he killed Merrik in ‘Voyage of Temptation’. It could also be a misdirection to make Ahsoka appear to be falling to the Dark side. Though that doesn’t entirely make sense seeing as we know that she didn’t kill Letta and is being set up. Hmmm. 

I know it’s meant to be a big climactic ending to the episode but couldn’t Anakin just follow Ahsoka and jump down onto the ship that she’s standing on that’s floating down the giant tunnel? And couldn’t Fox just comm some Corries to follow the ship and meet it when it lands? He is the Commander of the Coruscant Guard after all.   

That episode was intense and A Lot. And there’s still 2 episodes of this arc to go. Oof.

[clockwork-reads]

Brief Book Reviews #8

It's been a hot minute and I'm sorry. IRL stuff happened for most of the year and I've only just gotten back to reading again- I'm glad I have, though.

#1: Laura Thalassa, Pestilence (The Four Horsemen, Book 1)

Dark romance with a Horseman of the Apocalypse. It's about as fucked up as it sounds, and I love it.

The story sets the scene for post-apocalyptic Earth: the Horsemen rode out in all four directions some years before the story begins, and with their arrival, all electronics stopped working, save for the lucky few who had backup generators I guess. Then, five years after they vanish, Pestilence shows up, riding across North America to spread a plague. Our protagonist and narrator, Sara Burns, is the unlucky firefighter who tries to shoot him off his horse- she succeeded, for a bit, but sadly this Horseman is immortal and she becomes his prisoner. It's a slow burn, Stockholm syndrome, enemies-to-lovers kind of deal, and god dammit, I love it. There's a few sex scenes and graphic depictions of the dying (including children), so, heads up if you're thinking of getting this book.

...and I might want to play Darksiders again because of this lol.

#2, S.A. Chakraborty, City of Brass

...Well that was a rollercoaster from start to fucking finish. And there's two more books in this series. Holy shit.

I love the world building and political intrigue, and above all, I love how down to earth Nahri is. The bond between her and Dara is believable (and heartbreaking, in later chapters). Ali, though- poor kid can't catch a break. I kinda wish he'd grow a spine, but I don't blame him- his father's a right bastard, honestly. I hope the Qahtanis get found out before the series is over, and that they get what they deserve. I honestly can't say too much without spoiling anything, but as awful as Nahri's situation is, I am left hiking up my standards again after Dara being very ready to kill anything and everything for her. *sigh.*

#3: Tamsyn Muir, Gideon the Ninth (The Locked Tomb trilogy, Book 1)

This book was a fucken trip- and I had a couple of friends get very excited over me reading it. I can understand why, this was a fun read. Like a mix of dark fantasy meets Dead Space. Muir's done a good job of it. Sure, "Lesbian Necromancers IN SPAAAAAAAACE" is a good way to market it, but damn. The murder mystery was a nice touch. Gideon being a disaster lesbian is funny, and I kept hearing Taliesin Jaffe as Percy de Rolo whenever Palamedes showed up. Palamedes my beloved. Dulcinea didn't deserve you. ;_;

Tiktok was enlightening when it came to this series, too- apparently the author pulled the whole thing from their own Homestuck fanfic, and the parallels are very obvious. Then again, I'm still Homestuck'd after all these years, I don't have a leg to stand on here. Gideon is quite obviously Dave, Harrow is obviously supposed to be Karkat, and you can tell if you've been in sharpie bath hell for several years. It's done quite well, though. Can't wait to read the next one. Not sure what I'm gonna read in the meantime, though...

[babblydrabbly]

Day 12 | Edward Teach x Reader

a/n - @flufftober. Some Blackbeard love <3 Pre-Season 1.

prompt - 'you kept this?'

fluff - 580 words - warnings: imprisonment. gn!reader. childhood friends. can be read as platonic.

The brig of this ship is just as dim and gloomy as every other pirate vessel. You scrape the heel of your boot across the grimy floorboards as you sit there in silence. Above, the rabble of his crew can be heard dying down, until you can only assume it's late into the night or early morning. 

A glint. You sit up straighter in the torchlight when you feel his presence— The aura he put on for his men and enemies. You knew the man long before the legend, but even you could understand why Edward Teach was so feared.

He says nothing, taking his time as he makes his way to the bars keeping you prisoner. 

There’s plenty on the captain’s person to catch your eye; Knives. Stolen jewelry. Scars. But what you see in particular isn’t some piece of gold or silver. You collect yourself up off the ground and stand tall before him— though you’re still quite a few inches shorter. 

Your fingers reach off from beyond the bars, your wrists still roped together. Ed remains still as you brush the salt and pepper hairs of his beard gently to the side. He already knows what you’re prodding curiously for.

The shell has seen more wear than you last remember. A small, white cone with brown spots. The two brass beads keeping it in place on its leather cord glint again in the light as you move the necklace this way and that.

“You killed one of my men.” Ed greets you darkly.

“He was trying to kill me.”

The captain considers this and nods. You’re still appraising the trinket as he reaches down to unlock the cell. 

“...I can’t believe you kept this.” You utter.

He lifts one shoulder a fraction before dropping it in a shrug. “‘S a nice shell.”

“Not worth much.” You point out. You step out of the way to let Ed inside. He takes a seat on the creaking wooden bench against the wall and you do the same. 

“No. Guess that’s why I didn’t bother selling it off.”

You roll your eyes. “Go on. Tell me how you think of me every time you clasp it.”

“I’ll throw it out this porthole right now.”

The corner of his eyes crinkle as you cup a hand over your mouth, smothering your laughter.  

“Don’t need trinkets to think of you.” Ed adds eventually. Into the silence. His soft murmur melts with the creak of the ship, and both feel so much like home it stokes a warm flame in your belly. You pick at your nails idly as Ed scoots his boot over to yours, tapping them lightly together. 

The two of you speak in hushed voices well into the night— of what you’ve already heard through the grapevine of each other’s conquests, and of your own sides to the stories. You’re unsurprised that half the rumors floating around about Ed continue to be bullshit. But you delight in the way he’s clearly proud of his cunning. In truth, you always marveled at it. 

Dawn pours its pale light into the lower decks when another crew member finally comes down to check on you.

The man stares dumbly at the open cell door and at Edward, who shrugs when asked what happened to you. The pirate quakes, expecting punishment for letting a prisoner vanish from sight. Instead, Ed stands from the bench and shoulders past him with the small necklace nestled in his fist.

Patting him on the back, Ed sighs.  “Must have gotten away. Always does.”

[reasoningdaily]

On Memorial Day 2022, we take a look at the African American origins of the federal holiday established to remember America’s fallen soldiers.

Although May 30, 1868 is cited as the first national commemoration of Memorial Day at Arlington National Cemetery, events lead by African Americans in Charleston, South Carolina to decorate the graves of fallen Civil War soldiers occurred on May 1, 1865, less than a month after the Confederacy surrendered.

Reports of this early version of Memorial Day or “Decoration Day” as it was called, were rediscovered in the Harvard University archives in the late 1990s by historian David Blight, author of the 2018 biography Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom.

To quote from history.com:

When Charleston fell and Confederate troops evacuated the badly damaged city, those freed from enslavement remained. One of the first things those emancipated men and women did was to give the fallen Union prisoners a proper burial. They exhumed the mass grave and reinterred the bodies in a new cemetery with a tall, whitewashed fence inscribed with the words: “Martyrs of the Race Course.” And then on May 1, 1865, something even more extraordinary happened. According to two reports that Blight found in The New York Tribune and The Charleston Courier, a crowd of 10,000 people, mostly freed slaves with some white missionaries, staged a parade around the race track. Three thousand Black schoolchildren carried bouquets of flowers and sang “John Brown’s Body.” Members of the famed 54th Massachusetts and other Black Union regiments were in attendance and performed double-time marches. Black ministers recited verses from the Bible. Despite the size of the gathering and newspaper coverage, the memory of this event was “suppressed by white Charlestonians in favor of their own version of the day,” Blight stated in the New York Times in 2011.

On May 31, 2010, near a reflecting pool at Hampton Park, the city of Charleston reclaimed this history by installing a plaque commemorating the site as the place where Blacks held the first Memorial Day on May 1, 1865.

During the dedication of the plaque, the city’s mayor at the time, Joe Riley, was present to celebrate the historic occasion which included a brass band and a reenactment of the Massachusetts 54th Regiment.

In 2017, the City of Charleston erected yet another sign reclaiming the history and commemorating the event:

“On May 1, 1865 a parade to honor the Union war dead took place here. The event marked the earliest celebration of what became known as “Memorial Day.” The crowd numbered in the thousands, with African American school children from newly formed Freedmen’s Schools leading the parade. They were followed by church leaders, Freedpeople, Unionists, and members of the 54th Massachusetts 34th and 104th U.S. Colored Infantries. The dead were later reinterred in Beaufort.”

To learn more about African Americans’ role in the creation of Memorial Day, check out the links to sources provided in today’s show notes and in the episode’s full transcript posted on goodblacknews.org.

This has been a daily drop of Good Black News, written, produced and hosted by me, Lori Lakin Hutcherson.

For more Good Black News, check out goodblacknews.org or search and follow @goodblacknews anywhere on social.

Sources:

https://www.history.com/news/memorial-day-civil-war-slavery-charleston

https://www.lx.com/black-legacy/dont-overlook-memorial-days-black-southern-roots/53453/

https://www.live5news.com/2020/02/18/charleston-claims-first-memorial-day-celebration-with-african-americans-playing-significant-role/

https://amsterdamnews.com/news/2022/05/28/freed-slaves-started-first-memorial-day-in-the-us/

https://aaregistry.org/story/the-first-american-memorial-day-is-commemorated/

https://www.harlemworldmagazine.com/memorial-day-african-americans-memorial-day-charleston-south-carolina-1865/

[raindropsonroses123]

Books Read in 2022

rereads in italics, favorites in bold

1. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J K Rowling

2. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J K Rowling

3. Boxers by Gene Luen Yang

4. Saints by Gene Luen Yang

5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J K Rowling

6. Topaz by Leon Uris

7. Politics and the English Language by George Orwell

8. The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov

9. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J K Rowling

10. A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine

11. All Systems Red by Martha Wells

12. Apostles of Disunion: Southern Secession Commissioners and the Causes of the Civil War by Charles B Dew

13. The Three Sisters by Anton Chekhov

14. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J K Rowling

15. The Burial at Thebes: A Version of Sophocles’ Antigone by Seamus Heaney

16. The Seven and a Half Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

17. Hidden Mercy: Aids, Catholics, and the Untold Stories of Compassion in the Face of Fear by Michael J O’Loughlin

18. Artificial Condition by Martha Wells

19. A Slave No More: Two Men Who Escaped to Freedom, Including Their Own Narratives of Emancipation by David W Blight

20. Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells

21. Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

22. Confederate Reckoning: Power and Politics in the Civil War South by Stephanie McCurry

23. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J K Rowling

24. Desolation Island by Patrick O’Brian

25. Faith Beyond Resentment: Fragments Catholic and Gay by James Alison

26. Richard III by William Shakespeare

27. Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

28. An Old-Fashioned Girl by Louisa May Alcott

29. A Long Day’s Journey Into Night by Eugene O’Neill

30. The Fortunes of War by Patrick O’Brian

31. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V E Schwab

32. Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

33. The PIllowman by Martin McDonagh

34. Free Thought and Official Propaganda by Bertrand Russell

35. The Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters

36. The Open Society and its Enemies, Volume One: Plato by Karl Popper

37. The Problem of Pain by C S Lewis

38. The Open Society and its Enemies, Volume Two: Hegel and Marx by Karl Popper

39. Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield

40. Albion’s Seed: Four British Folkways in America by David Hackett Fischer

41. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead by Tom Stoppard

42. On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong

43. Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo

44. Persuasion by Jane Austen

45. Dead Cert by Dick Francis

46. Art by Yasmin Reza

47. His Majesty’s Dragon by Naomi Novik

48. Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond

49. The Constitution of Liberty by Friedrich A Hayek

50. The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky

51. Exit Strategy by Martha Wells

52. This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone

53. Blackout by Simon Scarrow

54. The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner

55. The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner

56. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

57. The Government Inspector by Nikolai Gogol

58. This Hallowed Ground: The Story of the Union Side of the Civil War by Bruce Catton

59. The Happy Prince and Other Tales by Oscar Wilde

60. Recitatif by Toni Morrison

61. Against All Odds: A True Story of Ultimate Courage and Survival in World War II by Alex Kershaw

62. I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston

63. How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell

64. The Trial by Franz Kafka

65. To the Finland Station by Edmund Wilson

66. The City of Brass by S A Chakraborty

67. Niccolo Rising by Dorothy Dunnett

68. Common Sense by Thomas Paine

69. The Crisis by Thomas Paine

70. Dracula by Bram Stoker

71. The Soviet Experiment: Russia, the USSR, and the Successor States by Ronald Grigor Suny

72. Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ by Lew Wallace

73. One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston

74. Angels in America by Tony Kushner

75. Melmoth by Sarah Perry

76. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

77. How to Be a Pirate by Cressida Cowell

78. The Poverty of Historicism by Karl Popper

79. The Shepherd by Frederick Forsyth

80. Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

81. The Birth of Tragedy by Friedrich Nietzsche

82. Cue for Treason by Geoffrey Trease

[ebitchwriting]

Dragged Into The Blood

Story Summary: Never staying in one place for long, moving nearly every year, Lea Anderson was used to impermanence, chaos, and having to leave everything behind at the drop of a hat. Lea never expected that she would be kidnapped and wake up in a rusted, decrepit prison cell because of a madman's delusional belief in eugenics and cleansing the Earth of imperfection. By herself, with only the clothing on her back, she will have to rely on luck and logic to escape before she's killed or worse. Chapter Summary: Claire, Moira, and Lea start exploring the derelict prison in search of the missing gear. Along the way, Claire discovers something vital regarding their situation. Chapter Warnings: None

Welcome back! I know it's been a few months since I last uploaded a chapter. The MA Apprentice program fell apart and the training agent(clinic) decided to fire all but one apprentice with no reason given and no consultation with the actual program managers at UWH, which pissed UWH off so much that they decided to sever the clinic as a training agent for future apprentices. Thankfully, I was still able to become a CCMA and am now job hunting. As such, the schedule for this story is no longer monthly but whenever I have the time, but I'm not going to let myself fall back into a yearly schedule.

Anyways, I know it's short, but I really didn't want to keep this hanging in limbo. Enjoy!

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17.

Chapter 17: Searching for the Gear

From beneath the improvised blindfold, crimson eyes stared at the aged and powerless spiked contraption before her. The spikes coated with a thick layer of rust, stained by old, dried blood. The scent of which was so strong Lea could nearly taste it in the back of her throat, almost making her gag.

"Oh," Moira's cadence was palpable with disgust, "that looks comfy."

"Yeah, let's take one home." Though Lea couldn't see it, she could hear the smile in Claire's voice. Lea couldn't help but snort out a laugh at the retort.

"Look at this machine! There's something inside of it!" Moira excitedly exclaimed, pointing towards the still sharp spikes. Lea's gaze followed her fingers and locked onto the slight yellow gleam of the surprisingly large brass gear trapped within the device. For a moment, surprise took hold of Lea.

'… How did I not see that...?' Lea's eyebrows scrunched up in confusion before her gaze fell back to the ground, finger tapping against her jawline.

"Maybe there's a switch?" Claire suggested, moving toward the opening in the back of the room. Moira quickly stepped behind Claire, clutching the crowbar and flashlight tightly. Lea, on the other hand, lagged, her gaze flitted between the machine and back at Claire, before reluctantly falling back in step behind Moira. A knot of doubt settled in the back of her mind, which only intensified as she observed the broken, warped ladder that appeared ripped apart. How could this derelict place have any power switches still functioning?

To Lea's surprise, the back of the room appeared better-lit compared to the rest of the facility. Neat too, with no stains of blood, minimal dust coating the surfaces, and the utility desk and shelving next to it looked well organized and even had some spare parts. Claire stopped at the desk, holding the parts in hand, closely inspecting it, before pulling out her handgun and started working on it.

The shuffling of feet next to Lea drew her attention away from Claire's mechanical work. When Lea glanced over, she saw Moira averting her eyes non too discreetly, her grip on the crowbar tightening even more. Lea wanted to say something, but her mind blanked on what she could do to comfort her. They weren't friends, Lea had no idea why guns made her so uncomfortable, and she also had no idea how Moira would take to a random stranger trying to comfort her. As her mind scrambled to produce a way to distract Moira at the very least, her clothed eyes were drawn to another platform, its ladder thankfully pristine and intact.

"Hey, Moira, right?" Lea timidly asked, getting her attention. Moira's eyes darted over to her, a wordless question in her gaze. Lea jerked her head over towards the platform behind the pixie-haired woman. "Wanna check it out? I'll cover you." When her amber eyes locked onto the platform, Moira's shoulders visibly sagged with relief.

"Sure, why not?" Moira said, trying to appear nonchalant. She closed the gap to the ladder and started her ascent. As soon as she was fully up onto the platform, Lea started climbing after her, not wanting to crowd the young woman. However, as soon as Lea was halfway up the ladder, the distinct rattle of a locked deadbolt reached her hypersensitive ears. "Fuck nuggets!" Moira none too quietly grumbled. Lea cursed under her breath, moved her hands to the sides of the rungs, and slid back down to the ground.

"What's wrong?" Claire asked, turning away from the desk and walking a few steps towards Lea. The handgun she was working on had been returned to its holster on her hip.

"Fucking door's locked." Moira promptly replied as she climbed down the last few rungs of the ladder. Claire hummed, her cerulean eyes darted up to the locked door then over past the opening to the center of the room. The older woman strode over just past the opening.

"Moira, I'll give you a boost. See if you can climb up." Claire called out, kneeling slightly in front of the warped ladder with her hands cupped, body braced.

"Uh, just me?" Moira asked, her grip on the crowbar and flashlight tightening again subconsciously. Lea's head quirked to the side, wondering the same thing.

"You're the lightest, it'll be easier if it's just you. Unless you hear anything up there?" Claire turned her eyes towards Lea's obscured ones. Lea paused, closing her eyes. Lea tried her best to focus her sensitive ears on above them and not behind. Shuffling feet, muffled rasping breaths echoed in the distance. After a moment, Lea let herself relax.

"I think we're safe." Lea answered, forcing the cadence of her voice to sound confident. When her gaze glanced over to Moira, she noticed how tense her posture was still. Moira closed her eyes and took a deep breath before handing the flashlight and crowbar over to the blonde.

Without another word, Moira walked over and stepped into Claire's cupped hands. Together, the two worked to give the young woman enough momentum to push herself onto the platform. As soon as Moira was fully up, Lea walked over and passed the flashlight and crowbar back to her. Wordlessly she took them, turned around, and with a deep breath walked into the unknown.

Lea waited, anxiously tapping her forearms as she kept her ears peeled for potential hostiles. Not too long after Moira started exploring, Lea could hear the woman stop. For a moment, she wondered what Moira was doing before the sounds of a crowbar being shoved into something metal and closed reached her sensitive ears.

"How are ya holding up?" Claire asked, snapping Lea's attention away from above and back down to her. Lea rolled her eyes and huffed out a sardonic laugh.

"Me? I'm all lollipops and candy canes over here."

"Lea—"

"Lana, remember?" Lea snapped, the burning agitation in her core almost overwhelming. With a sharp inhale, Lea made herself stop. She brought her hands up together, in an almost mock prayer and pressed against her lips. "I'm sorry, I swear I'm fine. Let's just drop it, ok?"

Annoyingly, the concern etched in Claire's face refused to falter. The knowing look in her blue eyes made the young girl feel far more vulnerable than she wanted to be, no, could afford to be. Then, the swift click of the deadbolt unlocking reached her sensitive ears, making Lea snap her attention back to the other platform. The blue door swung open, and the pixie-haired woman stepped forth, waving her arms at the others.

"Guys, this way!" Moira called out, cutting Claire off before she could start her lecture, much to Lea's relief. However, that relief was quickly replaced with dread when she glanced back at the older woman's face, the expression promising that the conversation was in no way over, only delayed.

As soon as the two got to the top of the platform and reached Moira, she anxiously shoved a small red box of handgun bullets into Claire's hands. 

"Good find."

"Not really, only has two in there. Who the fuck decided it was a great idea to put two bullets in a big-ass box with two locks on it?" Moira grumbled, flipping off the mangled remains of the lockbox down the hall to the right. Lea couldn't help the snort that escaped her lips at the motion.

'… Ya know… if it weren't for this hellscape… she'd be a lot of fun to hang out with…'

They didn't linger long in the cramped hallway, turning left and walking through the next slightly rusted blue door.

"Maybe once we're outside we can find someone to help us." Moira suggested, anxiety-riddled voice laden heavy with hope. Claire turned her head back as if to respond, but before she could utter a word a loud, muffled roar filled the silence. Moira gasped, pressing herself closer to Claire and Lea as a cloud of debris fell from the ceiling. "I just want to get out of here." Moira softly whimpered to herself. Lea felt a pang of sympathy flood her system at the fearful tone, memories of Africa threatening to rise to the surface.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves." Lea started, trailing off as she saw Moira's already stressed face seem to contort more into an agitated grimace. "Sorry." Lea hastily added, tearing her gaze away from the other woman. Lights, switches, perhaps a control room? She tried the knob of yet another blue door. Locked, of course it was locked. Lea resisted the urge to hiss and fell back in step with the other two as they traveled down the hallway.

Claire carefully twisted the slightly dented knob, and when it didn't give her any resistance, the older woman pushed the squeaky door open. Lea couldn't help her eyes narrowing, switching from that door to the locked one in the hallway. The hair prickled against her shoulders as they passed into the new hallway, this one in just as much of a dirty disarray as the rest of the complex.

Forward, turning right, and slowly traversing down the cell block. Claire kept the handgun pointed up, finger next to the trigger as she checked each open cell. Turning left, through another door, and into yet another ominous hallway. Claire slowly stepped her way over to the right, craning her head in. Slightly lowering the gun, Claire looked back at the two younger women, waving at them to follow. A storage room, one that surprisingly wasn't too chaotic, except for the grim.

'… This place is like a fucking maze… undoubtedly by that bitch's design…' Lea couldn't help but wonder as she set her shotgun against the wall. Aimlessly, she wandered to one of the two storage shelves, rummaging through boxes and papers. Next to her, she could hear Moira's light steps, following suit in a mindless gathering of materials. A venture quickly proving fruitless, until Lea's eyes spied something white on one of the higher shelves.

Leaning up on the tips of her toes, Lea stretched her fingertips, reaching as far forward as possible. Her tiny fingers missed once, twice, then finally on the third try she finally managed to grab the slightly lumpy object under rough material. As she brought it down to eye level, Lea's eyes widened, recognizing the coarse white gauze and little black bar freely lying in the middle. Smiling, Lea pivoted on her heels and turned back to Claire.

"Look, it's a tourniquet! And it's visibly clean!" Lea excitedly informed the older woman. Claire didn't react, head buried in some paper. "Uh, my uh, my aunt showed me now only how to use this but also how to improvise one out of basic cloth and whatever sturdy stick is nearby. Plus, the material here is gauze, great for light wounds!" Lea nervously rambled on, feeling the familiar anxiety creeping higher the longer the older woman scowled at the paper. "What's, uh, what'cha got there, Red?" Lea asked, tone taking a higher pitch with the awkward drawl.

"Um," Lea craned her head back to look at Moira. Her amber eyes decidedly were looking in a far corner. Suddenly, she shot her hand out, holding a small red ammo box. "Found this, there's not much though. Finally, Claire lifted her head, looking between the two. Concern yet again etched her face, flitting back from the paper, down to their wristbands, then back to their faces.

"That's great," Claire said as she grabbed the bullets, taking the two bullets out and shoving them in her pocket. "Give Moira the tourniquet, she has more pockets." Lane nodded, passing the tourniquet over. "Good, now I want both to listen carefully. These cuffs," Claire lifted her wrist, pointing at the metal, glowing band, "they're measuring how we're reacting to all of this. Green's normal, orange for anxiety." Claire then pointed to the paper she was so engrossed in, "if it's blinking red, we're feeling fear. If it's a solid red, we'll mutate."

Lea's heart numbly sank with every word Claire said. Vaguely she registered Moira gasping and taking a step back.

"So, they're fucking gonna turn us into some fucking Silent Hill freaks because we're scared?!" The words harshly spilled out of Lea's lips before she could stop herself. Her hands snaked up behind her head, tugging at what little hair remained.

"What the fuck." Moira softly exclaimed, voice warbling ever so slightly.

"Hold on, it's more than just being scared. We've all been scared since we woke up here. If it was just that then we would have changed a while ago." Claire cut through, stepping forward. She clasped a hand on Moira's shoulder, and the other on Lea's shoulder. At the sudden touch, Lea couldn't stop how her body stiffened, rigid as a plank board. "Regardless, we are all going to get through this together. We're gonna have to keep each other in check. It's ok to be scared, but we can't spiral. Do you understand?" Claire's eyes danced between the two, her face soft yet stern. A pregnant pause passed, thick with tension as Claire waited for any indication that the two younger women understood the situation.

"Got it." Moira said, thankfully breaking the silence after fifteen seconds had passed. Lea gave a sharp nod, stepping back and away from Claire's gently firm grip. Claire weakly smiled, nodding at the two, and jerked her head in the direction of the opening.

"Come on, let's find a way to get that gear."

[aethermage1]

Theory time!

Haha. Alright, I admit so far Dragonflight is some of the best fun I’ve had in a while. And I’ve seen a couple rumors going around about a character from a WoW book that I never thought would be mentioned(Book chars in wow have...a reputation.) So. Dralad, We didn’t know him long, he was the brother of Ysera/Alexstrasza and was killed during Galakrond’s rise. Or we assume he was killed, the body ended up vanishing. So I bring this up, because he was NAME DROPPED in a quest. My theories. 1. Dralad was dying, not dead and Tyr being a keeper and not entirely in touch with mortal views on life/death preserved him somehow, maybe testing to see if the unliving curse could be reversed before Galakrond unlocked whatever power decay is. Either this ended up creating a resentful or neutral Dralad, who could have been aspect but has been preserved since that time. Also opening up a cool orange color for our dragons, also allowing him to be one of the FEW book characters who gets to repeatedly turn up in the future. 2.  Dralad’s gonna be Galakrond 2.0. He’s the one who showed the Gnoll’s decay in the Azure Span, and it turns out his prison, much like Raszageth’s was distant from the vault. And maybe even weaker, in the computer dialogues we find. It is mentioned that Ysera wanted to bridge the gap between themselves and the unliving(Something that may turn out to be possible. in hindsight, Look at the undead and the death knights, but maybe it was also never possible to beginwith. The unliving being Mindless/A sort of hivemind.) Sympathy for something that until then ONLY wanted you dead is kind of an odd one, even for Ysera. It may have had to do with watching her kin deal with it. 3. Sort of a mix of the two outcomes, Dralad is a creature of Decay, but more in the sense that he’s aware death/life have to sort of coexist and thats just how it works. He walks a strange line since somehow titan techs kept him going this long, and he tries to balance that out with his own magic that seems to eat away at everything around him. The gnolls revere him and try to copy his abilities, making the decay he’s been trying to contain worse and now he’s dealing with that from wherever he was sealed. 4.  Dude’s just a orange protodragon we will get to meet in the Dragonscale expedition storyline, and he kinda represents titan lore/searching for knowledge(Similar to the dnd brass dragons?) and just hasn’t showned up bc we keep breaking the EK/Kalimdor and the info may be easier to find ELSEWHERE. All in all I have optimistic and dreadful hopes. I h o p e we get a book character thats more then just a line drop/murdered as a raid boss with little to no consequence.  Let this dude turn up and be a neutral force in this story thats goin on. Bc there is not much of a neutral presence.

[cksmart-world]

SMART BOMB

The completely unnecessary news analysis

by Christopher Smart

November 22, 2022

IN HEAVEN THERE IS NO BEER

If you are a sheikh from Qatar you can convince soccer's ruling body, FIFA, to award your tiny country the World Cup. You can buy a bunch of Airbus jetliners from France to capture its vote for the most prestigious soccer tournament in the world — only held every four years. And if that's not enough you can dump truckloads of cash on FIFA's driveway. Just pretend they didn't ask for it. It matters little that your country is mostly sand dunes where scorching summer temperatures can bake shawarma. It matters little that hundreds of foreign workers die during construction of World Cup facilities and stadiums. But don't under any circumstances ban beer from the matches. That could draw criticism from every corner of the globe and make FIFA look bad. That's right, Wilson, they could look bad for screwing up the beer. How do you expect European and American fans to watch a match without beer? It's insanity. Alcohol is not illegal in Qatar but drinking in public is. The sheikhs had 12 years to prepare but banned beer just two days before the kickoff. So organizers shifted gears and will serve non-alcoholic Bud Zero at the matches. Alaho Akbar (God is great). There may be plenty of virgins in Paradise — but there ain't no beer. And that friends is why we drink it here.

EATEN ALIVE: CRUEL AND UNUSUAL PUNISHMENT?

You are hereby sentenced to 1,000 mosquito bites. Imagine a judge meting out justice that way. Well, if the lawbreaker is sent to the new $1 billion Utah State Prison it won't be far from reality. Under the headline “Eaten Alive,” the Salt Lake Tribune reported that Department of Corrections officials didn't expect mosquitoes to be such a problem. But the staff here at Smart Bomb sure did as reflected in our July 19 edition: “[I]nmates took the scenic bus ride from Draper to the new joint on Mosquito Flats west of the airport.” (No applause, please.) Inmates and prison staff were covered in bites until the weather turned cold. The mosquitoes will be back in May but executives have yet to devise an abatement plan. One option would spray pesticides over the prison from airplanes — an added bonus to a stint at the big house. (Carcinogens, anyone.) Fact is, Corrections brass didn't have much choice but to move to mosquito habitat because the land under the old prison had become too valuable. “Visionaries” and their buddies on Capitol Hill have a great plan: A 600-acre “model live-work community” that would create 40,000 “great, cutting-edge jobs,” and a gold mine for a few on the ground floor — the ground floor in Draper, far, far away from Mosquito Flats.

LET THE INQUISITIONS BEGIN

Now that Republicans have taken control of the House, Americans can finally get what they really want: investigations of the Biden Crime Family — Hunter Biden, President Biden and his dog Major, who bites Republicans visiting the White House. There will be other probes, including one of the House Select Committee on Jan. 6 and where Liz Cheney gets her hair done; Attorney General Merrick Garland; FBI chief Chris Wray; and probably Ken Jennings and Jeopardy. These inquisitions are bound to pay dividends in lower gasoline prices, reduced inflation and interest rates, affordable housing and decreased carbon emissions — with luck, they will destroy Biden's socialist agenda for the underserved in health, education and economic opportunity. It's a whole new ballgame, folks, with cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and green energy. Leading the way will be the patriot from Ohio, Rep. Jim Jordan, who never wears suit coats because they make him look like a sleazy politician. Just because he called the story of a 10-year-old Ohio girl who got an abortion after she was raped, “another lie,” doesn't mean he's not a statesman. What is a statesman, anyway, but someone who screams at House committee witnesses. Hey, Dr. Anthony Fauci, better watch your six!

Post script — That'll just about do it for another fun-filled week here at Smart Bomb, where we keep track of Elon Musk so you don't have to. While he was giving the boot to 3,700 Twitter employees, Musk tweeted, let's make Twitter “maximum fun.” Right. Here's something from our “Life Elevated” - file: Frog eye salad has a special place in Utah lore. Last week Smart Bomb reported on psychedelic toads from the Sonoran Desert, but their eyes are not in most recipes for frog eye salad. No one is sure how it came about, but the buzz at Relief Society is that Latter-day Saint women concocted frog eye salad with saltpeter to keep their frisky husbands down on the farm — no pun intended. There's a mean joke that public schools have litter boxes in restrooms for kids wearing faux animal tails — but this is for real: Herschel Walker, the Georgia GOP candidate for Senate, said: “I don’t want to be a vampire anymore. I want to be a werewolf.” Can you beat that? Try this: Right-wing podcaster Ben Shapiro says Martians would be against same-sex marriage. “You could be a visitor from Mars and you could see that all of human procreation relies on man, woman, child.” He later said he hadn't actually talked to Martians but he's pretty sure Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito has.

Alright Wilson, we've finally come into some big news that the band knows something about — beer drinkin'. So maybe you and the guys can dish up one of your libation faves for those poor World Cup fans roasting roasting like shawarma in Qatar. Ready, OK, hit it:

I wasn't born for diggin deep holes I'm not made for pavin long roads I aint cut out to climb high line poles But I'm pretty good at drinkin beer So hand me one more That's what I'm here for I'm built for having a ball I love the nightlife I love my budlight I like 'em cold and tall I aint much for mowin thick grass I'm too slow for workin' too fast I don't do windows so honey don't ask But I'm pretty good at drinkin' beer A go getter maybe I'm not I'm not known for doin' a lot But I do my best work when the weather's hot I'm pretty good at drinkin' beer So hand me one more That's what I'm here for I'm built for having a ball I love the nightlife I love my budlight I like 'em cold and tall

(Pretty Good at Drinking Beer — Billy Carrington)

[isladeroda]

The sigh that leaves Doctor Clara’s lips is nothing short of heavy; the report she just got was not a favorable one. Enemy territory, enclosed, likely cramped spaces, unknowable structure... And worst of all, it was underground. The potential for so many things to go awry was high, but it was her job to prepare for that. She was so focused on the report and pictures she’d received that she didn’t even notice someone come in, muttering to herself.

“We may need to send some engineering personnel along with the infiltration team... But that comes with its own risks...”

[sodone-withlife]

icarus fell, and blood stained the ground

i'm back!! (but not really—the new school year literally starts in an hour and it will be back to my pathological dependence on academic validation. at least i can say i've technically published another fic before summer break ends)

anyway, here's the fic in response to part 1 of sumayyah's post. i published a companion poem for this some time ago. as per usual, i gave up on proofreading so hopefully any mistakes don't detract from the story. also, i hope the formatting and jumping back and forth between italics makes sense—let me know if it doesn't, though it might be easier to read on ao3 (it should go up on there by 4pm PST because school)

warnings: murder, major character death (may potentially be classified as suicide-by-proxy, depending on your interpretation), guns, canon typical violence, slight gore at the end, mentioned substances

word count: 1.9k words

The damned man thought of everything, Jessica thought as she scowled at the damned folder that sat innocuously on the large mahogany desk.

The desk that would soon be cleared, all traces of the previous owner gone.

She lifted a shaky hand and brushed it through her hair, shuddering at its greasy and unkempt state that hinted at the state she had been in recently. Weary to the bone, she forced herself to sit back up and grab her phone, dialing the number that was written on the sticky note placed on the inside cover of the folder. It didn’t surprise her to hear an unfamiliar female voice answer the phone with a “Ms. Brooks?”

He had thought of everything, after all.

Really, the only thing she was surprised at was the sheer extent of his connections—but thinking back to her phone calls with Haley back when he was still practicing law, the talks about extravagant offers from top corporations and firms, she really wasn’t surprised. Thus, it made sense that her call to the top law firm in the state would be answered within two dial tones and by someone who already knew who she was.

And within minutes of talking with the woman who introduced herself as Ms. Stevens, Jessica became even more aware of just how prepared her brother-in-law had been before he walked to his dea—

Not an in-law anymore—her brother. He had long since earned that designation, that spot in her broken family, no matter how much self-flagellation he put himself through in regards to her sister’s murder and no matter how much abuse her father hurled at him in the years before the man who once viewed him as a son succumbed to dementia.

Hours later, despite having already reached her limit twenty minutes into the call, she finally hung up the phone with only funeral arrangements as an immediate concern. Slowly, she stood up from the chair and mechanically made her way into the tiny bathroom that had once been a familiar sight, when her nephew was still a child—

She forced her mind away from that minefield; she wasn’t willing to spend another sleepless night thinking about what had gone down in the past month, what had happened a week ago in that apartment, what her nephew was doing and thinking in the cell that only seemed to become colder and crueler the more she thought about it.

How many prisons had he visited? How many interrogation rooms, holding cells, general population cells, max security cells, death row cells? Did he ever get used to it? Could he allow himself to get used to it, to forget that these people are also human no matter the crimes they’ve committed?

A careful hand fell onto Jessica’s shoulder, and she shuddered under the warmth that seeped into her body, a warmth that had been lacking from her life for a long time now. She turned to see Morgan staring back at her, concerned.

“You didn’t pick up your phone,” he explained neutrally, flicking his eyes towards her phone—and sure enough, there were ten missed calls, each from a member of the team. She looked back up but avoided his concerned gaze only to latch onto her reflection in the mirror and internally winced at her haggard appearance.

“Did you—“ she coughed, clearing her throat, “have you figured out what happened?” Morgan’s unspoken question about her well-being went unanswered, and she continued to avoid looking at him.

She watched the man shake his head through the mirror, unsurprised and once again cursing her brother for his incessant habit of playing his cards close to his chest, especially when it came to personal issues.

How else is—was—he one of the best at poker in the bureau, often even beating Reid?

“He hasn’t talked, either,” Morgan informed her quietly, saving her the pain of asking the question herself. “Forensics is still struggling to put together a cohesive picture. To be honest, I doubt we’ll ever find out what actually happened in that apartment.” He shook his head, frustrated at the man he considered his brother.

If either of them bothered to ask, they would have found that both were truthfully unsurprised at this outcome, given what they only recently learned about the factors and circumstances that led to it. The few established facts about this case in addition to speculation based on systematically organized notes left in an even more meticulously organized folder painted a clear enough picture of the events preceding the fall.

But it wasn’t really an accidental, flailing fall.

In all truthfulness, he didn’t fight it.

Icarus let himself fall to his death in an attempt to compensate for his hubris, to suffer the consequences of his mistakes, and it was both a cowardly attempt to escape the hellish burns caused by the boiling, melting wax and a selfless attempt to teach posterity to avoid ending up like him.

Jessica remembered the warmth of Morgan’s embrace when he ignored all protocol and took it upon himself to inform her of what had transpired in the past two months, regardless of the still-ongoing investigation. It didn’t do much to soothe the cold that had threatened to swallow her whole as she listened to the details in silent horror.

He had sat her down in her apartment, the one she had taken care of her ailing father in before he finally died and the one she couldn’t bear to move out of for all of the memories that had been formed inside—with her father on his good days, with her brother, with her nephew

“A week ago, we were invited by MPD to consult on a series of killings that happened over the course of a month. We had an eye on the situation since the second murder, and there were two more victims in the span of a week before we were finally called in,” he began quietly.

He had suspicions as to what was happening by the time the team was invited in on the case at the personal request of the MPD chief. It certainly wasn’t the first time he had come across this profile before, but there were simply too many puzzle pieces with matching edges for the connections to be brushed off as a coincidence.

“Based on the rate at which bodies were popping up, we anticipated another one within two days of us being called in, but the killer had gone suspiciously silent. We went through crime scenes, forensic reports, and things weren’t adding up.”

"It’s a local case and we’ve coordinated with MPD multiple times, they know the drill. I’d like to take a personal look as well, the brass has been all up in my business about this case given its proximity to the Hill."

That’s what he said to the team regarding him suddenly taking the initiative to go to the crime scenes despite his responsibilities—it had been a while since he last went out to crime scenes, often taking care of the office politics and coordinating the investigation back at whatever precinct or office the team had taken over.

“There were odd inconsistencies, missing pieces of evidence… There was evidence to show that the killer was an amateur, but ultimately the profile we ended up building was nowhere near as detailed as we hoped it could be—but it ultimately went a long way in helping us figure out what was really happening.”

Old case files going missing from his home office, growing interest in his job, sudden mood swings happening long after the worst of puberty, increased isolation, dropping grades…

Absentee fathers of Georgetown students being stabbed and shot to death as if the killer was unsure about what to do, an innocuous Jack-in-the-Box takeout bag sitting near the last three bodies…

Numerous signs, and yet it was the outwardly irrelevant piece of trash, perhaps a sign of the killer’s gluttony—a sick joke that only he could have recognized—that led him to put all of the horrifying pieces together. It’s been over a decade, and yet the memories of that damned day remained as clear as ever, dogging his every footstep. Nightmares in which the worst happens still often visit him in his sleep, sometimes even combined with the effects of Peter Lewis’s drug concoction, effects lingering even after all these years.

“Somehow, we completely missed the fact that he fit the victimology. Maybe it was because of his efforts to distract us… If we had put it together earlier we might have been able to figure it out much earlier, and maybe everything could have turned out differently.”

Only after intensive counseling and careful editing of his case reports was he allowed to continue in the bureau after Lewis and his targeted attacks, and yet he knew he was still being watched. It was with that thought in mind that he made a decision on how to handle the situation. Either way, his life would be irrevocably changed, and there would be casualties alongside him.

All he had to do was figure out how to minimize them.

“He never came in that morning; Reid was the first to notice the lights off in the office. We were headed towards his apartment complex as soon as we saw a cleared-out office with a retirement letter being the only thing left on the desk. All of the pictures, trinkets, law books, messy stacks of paperwork—gone.”

A retirement letter for formality's sake, one copy emailed directly to the director and one printed on his desk, to simplify some things for the bureau and to ensure that Jessica and his son get his pension should the worst happen. All of his decisions, meticulously recorded and justified, except for this last one to protect the team from the consequences of his choice. All of his notes, all of the claimed evidence, carefully stored in the file box he left next to the retirement letter back in the office. Favors accumulated since law school called in, contacts throughout the local justice system ready to step in and deal with the fallout.

All of this, an attempt to compensate for the mistakes he’s made over the years and his hubris, to protect the remnants of his family and the team.

Morgan couldn’t finish telling Jessica what had happened, voice somehow caught in his throat and refusing to cooperate. He simply shook his head, and she folded in on herself, the weight of the last week too much for her to hold up. Slowly, he pulled her into a hug, rubbing her back but not doing much more to soothe her.

This is a wound that wouldn’t ever heal.

The story ends like this:

Icarus burned, and Aaron Hotchner said nothing as the hand that held the gun against his temple shook with uncertainty. Everything he wanted to say was written—one might call him a coward, but writing had always been so much easier for him—and he knew that he would be the final casualty, that the killings would stop after tonight.

Icarus fell, and Aaron Hotchner was flung sideways, the unyielding bullet from his gun fired by his own son shredding the brain that thought had of everything but the emotional and psychological effects his final decision would have on his family and friends.

Daedalus grieved over his son’s crumpled form, and Jack Hotchner would be found with his father’s dead body in his shaking arms as he stared blankly at sights unseen to the team, who had come hours too late.

Blood stained the ground, seeping into the cracks and crevices of grasping fingers, and nothing would ever be the same.

[sweaterkittensahoy]

Day of Days, Part two

Malark meeting the guy from Eugene who joined up with the Germans is a fascinating moment because it speaks to 1) the level and reach of the German propaganda to make the war happen and 2) makes it clear that there were absolutely Americans who wanted in on what the Germans were doing. They WANTED to be Nazis. They WANTED to be part of “cleansing” the world of Non-Aryans. They were not conscripted to serve. They chose to. 

“It’s good to see you, Dick.” / “You too, Buck.” - They’re different sorts of officers, but they do like each other. I enjoy it. 

Ron gives Dick a hilariously polite smile when they meet up. 

Ron follows Buck’s throw of the first pack of cigarettes. Like a puppy wanting to play fetch. 

Malark not being able to help being friendly with the American German and then seconds later having to see Ron kill them, it’s an intentional whiplash, but also think what it must have been like to have Ron become his CO. Right after his best friends are killed by shelling. 

Worth noting, actual!Ron fully admitted to killing the prisoners and even went so far as to write Dick Winters a letter confirming it when Ambrose was worried Ron might sue for a false claim.  There’s a youtube video of Dick Winters talking about it, and he calls Ron “Sparky,” and the whole story is so weirdly affectionate.

Ron creeping in to eavesdrop Easy’s mission like he’s just wandering by is very good. It’s fascinating how he can turn the notice of himself on and off as needed for what he wants.

And suddenly I need a master thief Ron Speirs AU.

Don’t be mean to Hall, boys. He’s been a good guy.

Grenade - 0. Toye - 1. 

Let us all take a moment and appreciate the fucking hardcore effort of Popeye to battle crawl back to safety after being shot in the ass. 

Grenade - 0. Toye - 2.

WHERE DID JOE GET THOSE DAMN BRASS KNUCKLES.

The filming on the gun assault is so fucking good. You know where everyone is at all times, which is an extremely difficult thing to pull off.

Oh, Hall. That one quiet moment for Dick, the way he tries to wave away the smoke from his face. 

Ron showing up covered in ammo like some weird pin-up calendar.

It’s interesting how Buck is sort of disgusted at Ron running on top of the trench but Dick just watches him pull it off. I think part of Buck’s disgust is also surprise that it worked, but it speaks to how Ron is seen by them both. Buck likely sees a hotshot trying to show off, and Dick sees an aggressive and determined commander. 

“Going my way?” / “Sure.” -- GAY

Malark and Buck mouthing off at each other about Malark’s cooking is sweet.

“I’m not a Quaker” is still one of the funniest lines. 

Nix coming up to Dick to tell him about the map, and then going quiet and kind when he realizes Dick is hurting over Hall’s death, and then trying to tell him the map will help always tears me up. They were such a comfort to each other. 

I cannot imagine how fucking weird it must have been for Dick Winters to lead the Brecourt assault, and he did it so well they teach it even now. Like, his very first battle in the war, and it becomes legendary. That has to be surreal.

[palettes-and-prompts]

Could I get a prompt for Parov Stelar's Brass Devil? <3 (there's no lyrics, I hope that's not a problem though)

Sure thing!

1) "That's a pretty pistol, Person A. What are you gonna do with it?" "I really did like you, Person B, I wish you hadn't gotten in the way."

2) "Would you spare my life if I said I wouldn't tell the authorities?" "Only if you give me enough time to run away."

3) "You're a criminal now, where will you go from here?" "Oh, come now, darling, you wouldn't want me to spoil all the fun now would you?"

4) "Wanna dance?" "You couldn't keep up with me." "Try me."

5) "Told you I was good at hand to hand combat." "You killed Person A!" "Yeah, but did I spill a drop of this wine in my hand while I did it? No. And you know what? That's called skill."

6) "I've killed seven people but I've got to kill two more. Only then will I be able to complete my revenge." "You've lost your mind!" "No, I lost that long ago, I just so happened to find it recently. So, tell me, how would you like to die?"

7) "I'll catch you one day." "You wont, but I do love to watch you try."

8) "You think you'll find me, detective?" "I already have." "Oh, really? Where am I?" "Right in front of me."

9) "So you're the famous FBI agent trying to catch me." "Yes." "Well, should I be expecting to be arrested when I leave this room?" "I'm afraid so." "Then how about letting me have a drink first. It'll be a while before I'm able to have a drink like this again." "I suppose I'll allow it."

10) "I know everything about you, Person A. I know everywhere you'll try to run to." "Then come find me, darling."

1) Person A's a criminal who's been chased by FBI agent Person B for a few years. When B finally gets A in a room alone A requests a last drink before they're taken away. B agrees and the two share a drink. A begins confessing their crimes, telling B stories that they promise to write down once they're brought in. But after a long story B begins dozing off. A escapes, apologizing in a note for drugging them. They begin leaving notes for B everywhere and numbers for them to call whenever they find each note. The two play cat and mouse while flirting with one another. Eventually B falls head over heels and has to decide if they want to continue doing their job or join A's life of crime.

2) When a horrible person, Person A, is murdered, Person B and Person C are the ones who take the case. They figure out A had a lot of enemies and realize the case will be long and complicated. As they piece the timeline together and go on stakeouts they realize they've got a lot in common with each other. They begin spending more time with each other and even share a few nights together. But when C leaves to go get dinner for them they happen to look over a file tucked under their passenger seat. The information leads C to realize B's the one who killed A. When they go to confront B, Person B's already pointing a gun at them, teary-eyed and apologizing.

3) Person A is a notorious criminal while Person B is a less known criminal. While A thinks they're better than B, B explains that a well known criminal doesn't sound like something any criminal wants to be while B thinks the fact that no one knows about them makes them better. The two begin a rivalry stealing items the other wants and occasionally stealing the other's property. But when Person C shows up, a dangerous criminal who wants A and B dead, the two team up to destroy C.

4) Person A is a criminal framed by a crooked cop, Person B. When they meet Person C, a guard in their prison the two of them end up bonding over common interests. The two realize how many people B has framed and come up with a way to free the prisoners. They manage to free everyone and escape together. Unwilling to just leave B up to their ways A and C decide to put together evidence of B's doings. Person A gets their friends involved and after a while of them being unsure about C, they accept them and work together. The two compile evidence against them and come up with a plan to take down B.

5) Person A is a bored socialite who's been arranged to marry Person B, the owner of a club that's just a cover for their criminal activities. Person C is the exciting new singer who takes A's breath away. The two of them stare at each other from afar often and when B is away they dance together. They talk more over drinks and even though they're different from each other they think alike. The two of them flirt with each other openly and without care of anyone who could be watching. Person B hears about A's interest in C but doesn't pay any mind to it until A sings with C. When B notices the look in their eye that they've always wanted on them self, they fire C immediately. C comes back as a guest and A's happily dancing with them again. To get rid of them permanently, B decides to hire someone to 'take care' of C for them. It's then up to A and C to figure out a way to keep C from being killed.

[whimsicaldragonette]

ARC Review: Vows of Empire (Bloodright Trilogy #3) by Emily Skrutskie

Preorder

Add to Goodreads

Publication Date: June 14, 2022

Synopsis:

Two young princes on opposite sides of a war must decide between loyalty and love in this galaxy-shaking finale of the Bloodright Trilogy. Gal and Ettian have never been farther apart. Once, they were roommates and best friends, each suffocating under a secret of galactic consequence. When Gal’s came to light—that he was heir to the Umber Empire and all of its brutal conquest—the two were forced to flee their military academy, fall in with a brewing rebellion to reclaim the Archon Empire from Umber’s grasp, and face their long-held feelings for each other. Then the rebellion discovered Gal’s identity and to save his life, Ettian had no choice but to unveil his own secret: that he was the long-lost heir to the Archon throne. With Gal as a political prisoner, Ettian began the fight to restore his own empire—and to open Gal’s eyes to the possibility of a galaxy reclaimed from Umber’s greed. But just when Gal was starting to come around, a team of Umber operatives rescued him from Archon’s clutches and dragged him home to take up his crown. Now, separated for the first time and in full command of the might of their respective forces, the star-crossed rulers find themselves truly at odds. And with the war reaching a tipping point, the time has finally come for Gal and Ettian to confront what they owe their empires, their friends, and each other if they’re ever to forge a universe where the two of them can be together.

My Rating: ★★★★★

***My Review, Favorite Quotes, and links to my reviews of the previous two books in the trilogy under the cut.

My Review:

Now THIS is how you end a trilogy that's been nothing but one plot twist and con after another with a bang.

I fell in love with Ettian and Gal and Wen from the very beginning of Bonds of Brass. The writing style employed in these novels is easy and conversational and personal, making incredibly good use of first person perspective. The story races along at full tilt with plots and secrets and betrayals and counter betrayals and 'wait-that's-not-actually-a-betrayal's slotting into place and never quiiiiite spinning out of control, but only just.

The first book was Ettian-focused, and the second Gal-focused, but in this one there's a nice balance of the two and also a look into Wen and a growing familiarity with the utter chaos that is the Wraiths.

If I can just quote from my review of the second book in the trilogy (Oaths of Legacy) for a moment:

"...if I could read about Wen going off-script with a mad slap-dash plan and Ettian caring too much and Gal “fed up to here with these two idiots but don’t anyone dare touch them” emp-Umber attempting to manipulate everyone forever I totally would... "

Same, past self. Same.

After absolutely flying through this final book at a breakneck pace I can say that I am completely satisfied with the ending. It's the best ending these characters could have dreamed up. It is everything I wanted (and several things I didn't know I wanted). The plot twists and surprises and long cons nearly killed me several times over as I read, in the best way possible.

I love a good twisty plot where the characters are pulling multiple cons on each other and ALSO on the reader, and this trilogy definitely delivers, with moments that made me gasp and moments that made me want to cheer as things fell into place.

I am in awe of Emily Skrutskie's plotting skills and also will read absolutely anything she writes because this trilogy and these characters have completely stolen my heart.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey for providing an e-arc for review.

***You can find my reviews of books 1 and 2 of the Bloodright Trilogy below:

Bonds of Brass (Book 1)

Oaths of Legacy (Book 2)

Favorite Quotes:

I open the door, and there he is. The person I took a crown for. The person I’d take another bullet for, knowing exactly how agonizing it feels to have your guts shredded.

---

I’m not an emperor. Not overseeing a system that encompasses. billions of lives and hopes to reclaim billions more. I’m just a dumbass trying to close a goddamn door.

---

“What do you think I’m asking?” she replied—always with that tone of mischief. Pissed me the hell off when we first met. I wanted to shake her by the shoulders and go We can’t both be the fun one.

---

But that little taste of humanity was never meant to be permanent. We were always going to be dragged back to our higher destiny. It’s another thing entirely to be a man with nothing but a ship and the love of your life, standing on the shore of just one of the galaxy’s many oceans, wondering what the point of you is.

***You can find my reviews of book 1 and 2 of the Bloodright Trilogy below:

Bonds of Brass (Book 1)

Oaths of Legacy (Book 2)

[tishinada]

100 Days of Writing – Day 30

(30 days straight, yay!!)

Continuing with my thread about POV of the class stories and how they take on a different feel if you think of them as the class character retelling their story to a specific audience.

The Trooper's story emphasizes first, the backstabbing and interference both by the brass and by politicians and second, the unit cohesion. And that comes into focus in a new way if you assume the audience for the story are other troops in the military and you're retelling the story of how things reached the finale, either with Rakton's death or the exchange of prisoners for him. 

For instance, Elara Dorne is described as the ultimate Imperial stereotype in Republic minds---obsessively formal and regulation conscious---but also heroic for defecting and completely loyal now to the Republic and her comrades-in-arms. That's exactly how a Republic soldier would describe her to another soldier. Her harassment by Kailor? That's the sort of bureaucratic nonsense they expect and gripe about.

Jorgan being demoted as a scapegoat by the brass over the defection of Havoc squad? Yeah, they've seen shit before---up to and including the genial friendly manner of the general who demoted him while admitting he was their scapegoat ("Someone hasto takethe fall and obviously it isn't going to be me,.") I mean, throwing people to the wolves is how they got the defection of Havoc Squad. And there’s enough room in the story for you to define the reason you’re telling the story too, from “I’ve remained loyal in spite of everything the higher ups did” to “this is why we’re disaffected/possibly considering defecting ourselves.”

At a more trivial level, you can slant the story to in smaller ways, like either being laid-back about lower ranks addressing you casually or reinforcing military etiquette by demanding they use your proper rank or sir (Sgt. Mathin on Coruscant addresses you as LT instead of Lieutenant, for instance.) That's the kind of detail about your leadership style that's going to interest other soldiers. This story is bonding with other troops and entertainment.

This went on a little longer than I expected. Tomorrow, the Imperial Agent’s storytelling and audience.

(Day 1 here) (Day 29 here) (Day 31 here)

[nuklearis-sutotok]

I’m bored with the usual asks.

1) Favourite doughnut? 2) Favourite herbs, spices, seasonings? 3) What year do you think the world will end? 4) Are you a musician? What is your favourite way to keep sheet music/tabs? 5) “ ” What is your favourite piece to play?  6) Paperback, hardcover, audiobook, ebook? 7) Would you rather be eaten by a lion or a sea monster? 8) Favourite scents? 9) Favourite accents? 10) What is your favourite hour? 11) What is your least favourite period of history? 12) Do you meditate? 13) Have you ever been accused of remembering anything? 14) Favourite colour palettes? 15) Describe your ideal Tumblr theme? 16) Favourite memes? 17) Hand creams or lotions? 18) If you could drown one (1) person in hand sanitizer, who would it be? 19) Be it from mythology, theology, or anything else ending in “gy,” who are your favourite figures? 20) Here there be dragons. Pick a dragon colour. Ride it in battle. How did it go? 21) Have you had an existential crisis yet today? 22) What is your take on the meaning of life? 23) Spiritual at all? 24) Strings, woodwinds, brass, or percussion? 25) If a salty magical being decided to curse you and you were doomed to spend the rest of this life as an animal, which animal would you prefer and why? 26) Higher sounds or lower? 27) The last thing that you watched that you really hated, like absolutely could not stand? 29) Aesthetic? 30) Collect anything? 31) You’re trapped in an underground room with five people of your choice and three you can’t stand, do you want to tell us how it is going? Who they are? What do you do first? Play out the scenario? Sound effects are not necessary but appreciated. 32) Any spooky or weird experiences? 33) What types of questions do you enjoy? 34) Do you want to ask your followers anything? 35) You’ve been picked to win $30,000, all you have to do is spend a week in a haunted location of your choice: An abandoned prison, an old theater, an abandoned hospital, or a clown morgue. Where is going to be? 36) Fencing, archery, equestrianism, or martial arts? 37) What would you prefer to be killed by, ideally? 38) Incense, candles, or spray? 39) You’ve been convicted of a murder most fowl, which bird is it, why, and how do you season it? 40) Black and white or colour? 41) So... We’re off to a great start in 2020, right? How is your year going? 42) Write us a short scene, just anything that comes to mind? 43) List at least three recipes? 44) What do you really want to do? 45) Where do you really want to go? 46) Where is home? (Don’t literally answer this!) 47) Favourite pastimes? 48) Favourite radio stations? 49) Have you memorized the periodic table? 50) You’ve been trapped in a book setting of your choice, what genre are you living? What title are you in? Who are you, if not yourself? What is your story? 51) What books do you wish had ended differently? 52) What literary figures would you like to have a stern talking to? 53) Congratulations! You can throw five things (living or not) into the fires of Mt. Doom, what are your choices? 54) Hungry for anything? 55) Make up your own question/s, insert them here.

[tutubola-moved-on]

Hi I like music and I kind of go wayyy too deep into the TPN soundtrack and I think it's about time I start throwing my thoughts out there before they spiral too much

Disclaimer!!! This is not a complete analysis at all, just a few thoughts on each of the songs. I'll probably revisit some of them in future parts if I ever do those aha anyways enjoy

(Part 1/?): 63194, Emma's Sorrow, Emma's Determination, 22194, Norman's Lament, The Promise Between Humans and Demons, Jailbreak and Isabella's Lullaby.

(manga spoilers)

I've done a lil smth smth on Main Theme 2 already and its my favourite song like ever aha this is a cry for help

here you go people

but now anyways fr

63194 (Season 1)

Wouldn't have started with this one cuz I'm still figuring it out but it was the first one that came up when I pressed shuffle

Let's just go straight to the point so we can move on. The first time we hear 63194 is in episode 2, when Norman is talking to Ray about their plan in the forest (or, as I like to call it, "boat scene"). It reaches its climax when Norman starts talking about how he'll use himself to ensure the escape plan will work.

And then it's only used again in episode 8, if I'm not mistaken, after Isabella tells them about Norman's shipment, thus foreshadowing him refusing to escape and using his "death" as a tool to help the others escape.

But alsooo the song is Emma's theme, so there's definitely some sort of meaning other than foreshadowing Norman's shipment. That's for later though cuz I'll have to think more. The beginning does sound a lot like Strauss' Metamorphosen, a piece symbolising how German culture was destroyed during WW2. Not sure what to do with that info for now.

If you'd like a little extra stuff, I also tried connecting the pieces to the Doctrine of Affections, a... thing some Baroque composers wrote that connected music keys to feelings. (I found many sources but I used this one).

63194 is in C Minor, which is described as "innocently sad" (although another source said "sweet but sad") and "lovesick." I think innocence really describes Emma, Ray, and Norman in general, as kids who never did anything wrong but were thrown into the wrong world. Innocently sad would be their conversations in boat scene. They're talking about life or death, it's not something kids should have to deal with.

But again, it's hopeful. Norman wants to create a boat made out of mud---he wants to save everyone---and he really believes it'll work. So although sad, it's also sweet. It's a light at the end of the tunnel, and also just an act of kindness. As for "lovesick," that would just describe Ray and Emma's inevitable longing for Norman after he was gone. Which brings us to...

Emma's Sorrow (エマの悲しみ) (Season 1)

The two times I remember Emma's Sorrow played was 1) When they first talked to Don and Gilda about the house and 2) During the infirmary flashback scene.

The Doctrine of Affections describes E Minor as "grief and longing." In the infirmary flashback scene that obviously not only shows how Norman longs for that time when they didn't know anything and everything was light and happy but also, once again, foreshadows Emma eventually having to grieve him.

Especially because they don't play the staccato part (short quick notes) that's in the original version. Instead, the strings are always present. In staccato, the music gets pretty,,, lowkey? because the instruments can't exactly "show off," whereas the legato (long/connected notes) really shows the true importance and impact each individual instrument has on the song. Considering how the strings (specifically the violins) in the soundtrack could symbolise Norman, it's showing how Norman is not just another guy who's in their group and planning the escape, but an actual friend they'll lose and who'll leave a significant emptiness behind. Not only brain power wise, but just.. you know he's a human being and it's gonna hurt either way.

Not only that, but the harmonies itself in Emma's Sorrow once the strings really do come in are really incomplete. Like, the piano part seems to be all over the place, but it comes together because of the strings. Norman was the one who brought Emma and Ray together, in a way, and isn't Emma and Ray clashing exactly what Shirai wanted when he sent Norman away? Yea...

And Emma's Sorrow is, of course, parallel to:

Emma's Determination (エマの決定) (Season 1)

Yea no I'm still gathering thoughts on that one. The ascending bass contrasting the descending bass in Emma's Sorrow is pretty cool, though. It plays when Don is going off about how he wants to be strong after punching Ray and Norman and it's in F# Minor, so "passionate resentment." Connect both and Don really is ready to change the world. He got slapped with this very very bad reality and naturally he's angry and he's sad and he wants to do anything in his power to save people.

But back to Norman.

(hi future me here. oh my god why am i only talking about norman this was not the route this was originally going to take im so sorry i swear there's more to this post than just norman brain rot 22194 is the last norman one)

22194 (Season 1) and Norman's Lament (ノーマンの嘆き) (Season 2)

22194 is in B Minor, so "patience" and "walking towards fate." That's pretty self explanatory considering how he, and I quote, "chose death." Yea. G Minor would be "uneasiness of the future," and once again, pretty self explanatory (The whole Lambda seizures thing and I'm The Only One Who Can Save The Humans Syndrome. Normy worries too much :/)

Comparing both is pretty fun, too. It's the same melody but in different keys and instruments and thus just give off different feelings. While 22194 is full of instruments and harmonies and is clearly structured, Norman's Lament is just. Empty. It's like it's trying to stay true to 22194, so the Norman from before, but at the end of every musical sentence it just drifts off. You can see parts of 22194 in there, but it's not the same. At all.

There's also no harmony. He wants to do everything himself, and discards all his bonds and friends for that. So sad. Stop him.

All that while 22194 is rich and beautiful and oh my god i love that song so much and it's just showing how Norman was a lot more lively and layered and human when he allowed people to come into his life (the harmonies) and listened to those people instead of just locking himself up and doing everything himself.

So in conclusion cuz I ramble a lot, 22194 is about GF Norman, who hadn't gone through all those things that turned him "evil," who trusted his friends and believed everything had a good, ethic solution. Norman's Lament is about Lambda/post-Lambda Norman, who had gone through a whole lot, and was now in a downwards spiral and had left everything behind to become God or whatever, but was also in denial that he had changed in the first place.

does this make sense no idea i'm typing this while sleep deprived and high on bread and i failed english this quarter

but that aside

The Promise Between Humans and Demons (人間と鬼の約束)(Season 2)

I love this song!!!!!! So much!!!!!!!!! I love the percussion, it's used so well. And I love the way the song builds up and adds more and more instruments until it eventually reaches a climax, like the growing tension between the humans and the demons during the war that snowballed and snowballed and eventually caused both sides to resort to the Promise.

And when the song comes down you can hear a very short "first draft" ish version of Isabella's Lullaby.

It's as if yes, all this mess went down and the demons and humans made this huge promise that completely changed the world and affected an entire society but then far far away from the Seven Walls and the Promise and oblivious of the Ratri Clan and the demons were these two tiny tiny children just singing a song and living happily. And those children---and that song---were the foundation for the entire revolution that ended with the Promise. Wow.

And it's in D Major, D Major is "Triumphant." The song itself sounds triumphant, and yes the Promise was gross but it was a nice little hello kitty band aid over the mess that was the world before it.

What was truly triumphant, though, was the kids' escape, which happened to the same melodic theme, albeit in a different key. Which leads me to...

Prison Break (脱獄) (Season 1)

Oh my God. I love this song.

It symbolises the kids breaking ties with Isabella and how many obstacles were in the way (not only was she their mom; their only mom who had cared for them for their entire lives, but she was also their enemy and did everything she could to prevent them from escaping). The second the brass comes in with the theme (around 0:53) it sounds like it's struggling to play it fully. In this case, Isabella, once the singing parts, would have lost her voice after being outwitted by the children (keep in mind the song starts playing after they've already reached the wall). After all, the song starts with a voice that seems to get more and more desperate before it's overrun by instruments, thus losing its power.

So she's trying to control them and get them back, but they won't let her. They're going to break free. So you have the melodic theme playing with significant breaks, until eventually it all goes silent. Why? Because they escaped. Isabella completely lost contact with them, they're free. And then you get the same melodic theme in The Promise Between Humans and Demons.

But the theme isn't played full. It's not played to the extent that they play it in TPBDAH, instead there's a lot of just "blank space" with no melody above it: that's where the children will write their melody---their story; a story independent from the Promise that shaped their lives thus far.

AGH.

I need a break but I'll be back

Isabella's Lullaby (イサベラの唄)

OK OK Continuing on Isabella I love how Sarah Alainn sings like she's crying. I really recommend this if you want to go deep on Isabella's Lullaby, they pretty much said everything I had to say. I don't go on youtube like ever and that might as well be one of my favourite videos LOL anyways

I also really recommend listening to the no vocal/piano solo version, the harmonies are so beautiful. And the more you listen to it the more you hear, there's always something new. The violins especially oh I love the way Takahiro Obata uses violins. Honourable mention to Nat King Ballade (ナットキングバラード) and Each Thought (それぞれの想い) (idk if thats the english name for it,,,, i've seen it as "Their Own Thoughts" too)

WELL THEN. What a ride. I'll go to sleep now. If anything is incoherent or u just wanna talk then send me askies or a dm smth idk aha i like music but i hate grammar :P