#Ancillary Justice spoilers

[injustice-of-toren]

I read Translation State a while ago and the Ancillary trilogy a while before, but I've been thinking: was I supposed to know when Zeiat showed up after Dlique's death that they were the same person?

I feel like knowing that would have made the whole Zeiat getting a commemorative funeral medal with Dlique's name on it a lot funnier.

So here's a poll:

[rotationalsymmetry]

I can't stop seeing Anaandar Mianaai's multiple bodies and split selfhood as representing the concept of a government, a body that is composed of multiple individuals and competing factions and yet has to act as one and yet often does in fact act against itself. And yet also, at the same time, often doesn't act against itself as much as the people under the government need it to. Breq is never confused about the reform Mianaai bring on her side. She knows that's not how things work.

And she has no "ok but I need to support..." because Awn is dead and nothing else matters.

[mossyshadows]

“She thinks I’m Special Missions,” I said, breaking that silence. “I never told her I was. I never told her I was anything, except Breq from the Gerentate, and she never believed that. I wanted to leave her where I found her, but I couldn’t and I don’t know why. She was never one of my favorites.”

😭😭😭😭

[yennefer]

on the last 100 pages of ancillary justice and this book is... A Lot.

[rjalker]

eheheehehehe

[ID: An edited version of a vintage drawing, originally showing a wife and two children hiding behind a door with knives, waiting for the husband. The drawing now has two wives and six children, with six husbands. Above and below, the image is labeled, "Anaander Mianaai". End ID.]

[crouchabout]

[i'm 2/3s through ancillary mercy - spoilers for imperial radch]

i've been wondering about the title of the second book, which seemed counterintuitive because the majority of it is spent with mercy of kalr and its relationships with other characters are explored quite a bit - yet the book is called ancillary sword, and it's the third book that's called ancillary mercy. that's weird, right? in ancillary sword, the only significant sword is atagaris, which isn't as major of a character as kalr. besides, kalr doesn't have ancillaries - except when you consider it speaks through humans as if they were ancillaries.

anyway, thinking of events in the first and second book, my only guess is that each book is named for the ship that becomes separated from its humans. separated from itself. which. well. hnnnnnggggg

[whisperofthewaves]

this is the 3rd time I read that scene with the emperor of radch and leutenant awn on justice of torren, and maybe it's because this time it's audio, but man did it hit me

[a-queer-little-wombat]

TBH, the whole storyline for Seivarden in Ancillary Justice, particularly the part that happens between Garsedd and when Breq rescues her from hyothermia, feels FAR more realistic than a story where she gets thawed out and goes to save the universe.

Because linguistic drift IS real and it WOULD be crippling [1], and the culture and class shock Seivarden experiences IS real and we can see it happen with real people who try to go back to the cultures they've moved away from or when they shift from one class to another (in any direction, but especially down, like Seivarden does). Not only is Seivarden experiencing all of that, her entire status is in limbo and uncertain.

On top of all that, she wasn't getting treatment for the massive amount of mental trauma that happened immediately prior to being shoved into an escape pod!

Seivarden is entirely understandably a mental mess, who imprints on the person who literally saves her from death.

of all the fun characters in imperial radch for some reason the one who has been stuck in my brain the most is Seivarden. what is UP with her. I need to see inside her brain so bad. she got dragged off the street by a mysterious stranger who inexplicably knew her name and spent like a week waiting to run away from her and buy more drugs but then she was like. no actually, instead i think i will be sticking to you like a barnacle forever, thanks.

she was also frozen for 1000 years and it's not like the book doesn't acknowledge that but???? she woke up after being frozen for a thousand years and this is a remarkably small deal relative to the main plot. "spaceship captain loses her ship and gets shoved into an escape pod and wakes up a thousand years later" could absolutely be its own whole story, where the spaceship captain then goes on to save the world or something, except instead of saving the world seivarden got addicted to drugs and this is just all happening in the background of breq's own saving-the-world-adjacent adventure.

i mean for goodness sake she was frozen for a thousand years and then got dragged off the street by the one person in the galaxy who knew her a thousand years ago and is still alive. what kind of luck is THAT. she decided she was gonna stick to breq like a barnacle forever before she even knew that. (i mean, arguably you could put that point in a lot of different places, but to me the bridge scene and the picking-her-up-from-jail scene in AJ are both strong candidates.) i NEED to go find some good seivarden POV fic because i need to know what is going on in her HEAD.

[iguessyouregonnamissthepantyraid]

finished ancillary justice and i'm halfway through ancillary sword now and i just gotta say i am fully obsessed with the fact that this entire rift in their political system has been caused by the fact that their supreme ruler has her mind split between multiple semi-independent bodies so that when she commits an unspeakable act of mass violence you get one half of her going (rightfully) oh god what have i done, we need to change the way we do things so nothing like this ever happens again, while the other half digs their heels in and insists they were in the right all along. absolutely BALLER analogy for the human condition. insane

[mothshrub]

Anaander Mianaai spotting more splintered Anaander Mianaais out in the wild

[reddy-reads]

Ancillary Gender: Pronouns and personhood in Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie

When I started this, my memories of the Ancillary Justice series (technically the series is “the Imperial Radch series”) were vague. The protagonist (and narrator) had once been an AI that controlled a spaceship and a crew of human bodies, but she had been reduced to just one body. She used she/her pronouns for everyone. 

Now I have reread Ancillary Justice and the sequels Ancillary Sword and Ancillary Mercy. I’m pleased to say that a) the books hold up, and b) there was a lot I’d either missed or forgotten.

Protagonist and narrator Breq was once the troop-carrier Justice of Toren. The Justice of Toren AI controlled not only its own ship-body but many human bodies (called ancillaries) that made up an important portion of its crew. She was thousands of years old and a troop-carrier for the interstellar empire known as the Radch. (The ships have wormhole drives, which allow for faster-than-light but not instantaneous travel.) At the start of Ancillary Justice, the ship Justice of Toren has been greatly reduced and now exists in one, single, human body. She goes by Breq. 

[SPOILER NOTE:  I refer to things that happen in all 3 books, and I quote some passages. Spoilers through book 3 ahoy!]

Some context about the book’s style, Breq, and the Radch

Breq/Justice of Toren is the book’s narrator, and she refers to everyone around her (almost) exclusively as “she.” Sometimes in dialogue, characters will be referred to as “he” and “him,” and in those circumstances Breq usually copies the use of “he/him” in conversation; even then, the narration (Breq’s true thoughts) refers to all characters as “she.” This makes for a deliberate disorientation for the reader; the effect (for me) is persistent but still allows for understanding. It makes Breq’s POV alien in a way that is appropriate for someone who used to be a ship, who isn’t totally human. 

At least, that’s what I thought: that the use of “she” for everyone was because Breq was originally an AI, the ship Justice of Toren. (As an aside, it felt doubly appropriate since ships and other vessels are traditionally referred to as she.) But on my recent reread, I realized that I was mistaken. This is not a Breq-the-ship matter; it’s a product of the culture that created Breq, the Radch. Another character comments on Breq’s misapplication of pronouns: “You certainly Radchaai. [...] The gender thing is a giveaway, though. Only a Radchaai would misgender people the way you do.” (The culture is called the Radch, and the adjective form is Radchaai.) 

Breq is of the Radch, and her cultural background colors the narrative. It made it hard for me to get a grip on what the Radch was like in general. (If there is such a thing as in general; the Radch is an empire spanning a multitude of solar systems and an unending hunger to ‘assimilate’ as many cultures as it touches.) The best mental image I got of “the Radch” was when Breq sets foot in a Radch port: “I saw them all, suddenly, for just a moment, through non-Radchaai eyes, an eddying crowd of unnervingly ambiguously gendered people. I saw all the features that would mark gender for non-Radchaai [...] Short hair or long [...] Thick-bodied or thin-, faces delicate-featured or coarse-, with cosmetics or none. [...] All of this matched randomly with bodies curving at breast and hip or not [...] for an instant I despaired of choosing the right pronouns, the right terms of address. But I didn’t need to do that here.” 

In Radch-controlled space, people are “she.” This is regardless of their anatomy. (In response to the earlier comment about her tendency to misgender people, Breq says, “I can’t see under your clothes. And even if I could, that’s not always a reliable indicator.”) The dominant language in Radch-controlled space only has “she” and “it” pronouns; other languages have different pronouns that vary with gender and age and all sorts of factors, which is a challenge for a thoroughly Radch-created character. 

(At this point, I want to emphasize that the Radch are not admirable or tempting to emulate in any way. They are intensely hierarchical, they’re imperialistic, and they have a casual attitude towards using violence to snuff out any spirit of dissent. This is not at all an ‘uwu queer utopia that has ascended beyond conceptions of gender.’) 

Oh, and as far as reproduction goes, we do get this: “‘I used to wonder how Radchaai reproduced, if they were all the same gender.’ / ‘They’re not. And they reproduce like anyone else. [...] They go to the medic [...] and have their contraceptive implants deactivated. Or they use a tank. Or they have surgery so they can carry a pregnancy. Or they hire someone to carry it.’” Which says Something about Rachaai’s idea of how ‘everyone else’ reproduces (or at least Breq’s perception of Radchaai perception of… you get the idea.)

Pronouns and personhood (What is a person again?)

So that’s a little background about the setting, the Radch, and Breq. Next I want to circle back to my original topic: pronouns and personhood. This started as I was contemplating the differences and similarities between several series: the Discworld series (Terry Pratchett), the Murderbot Diaries (Martha Wells), and Ancillary Justice (and its sequels) by Ann Leckie. All these series have characters who are a) not human and b) do not use “she/her” or “he/him” pronouns. Although these characters are not human, they still felt, to me, like “people.” 

What did I mean by “people?” Honestly, I’m still not sure! But I have a sense that “to be treated like a person” involves being treated with respect. “People” have thoughts, opinions, and comfort that are treated with consideration. They have an inner life and volition. (I am aware that this is vague, but I am just a rando on the internet and not, like, a philosopher. I’m working with what I’ve got.)

Inside and outside the world

Before we can dive back into pronouns and personhood in Ancillary Justice and its sequels, I want to distinguish between in-universe and out-of-universe understandings of personhood. The story—the author and reader outside the story’s events—understand from the outset that Breq is a person. She has an inner life. We (the reader) care about her inner life, her goals, her plans… She’s the narrator of the whole series! This, to me, is a surefire indication that from an out-of-universe perspective she is unquestionably a person. 

But in-universe—from the perspective of other characters—the question of Breq’s personhood is more… complication. In fact, in-universe, personhood is not a binary function of person/not-person. Instead, whether someone/something counts as “a person” exists along a sliding scale. Several factors affect an entity’s place along the scale. 1) Are they human? 2) How Radchaai are they? 3) How scary are they? As already discussed, within the Radch (in the dominant Radchaai language), all “people” are “she.” Over the course of the series, in-universe understandings of personhood start to shift. 

The importance of being human

Being a “person” is not as simple as having a human body. 

Breq herself has a line in book one: “I’m not human, but my body is.” 

Breq, as we know her, inhabits a human body, but history matters. Breq was once ship-AI Justice of Toren, “it.” Justice of Toren controlled thousands of ancillaries. An ancillary is a human body (with some hardware installed to allow an AI to control it), but an ancillary is “it.” To regular human people (Radchaai citizens), ships and other AIs are not people, and ancillaries are just subunits of AIs. Ships are it (not people), and their it-ness spills over into their human bodies.

To be Rachaai is to be civilized: What language reveals

Perhaps it is not surprising that, for the Rachaai, being a person is not so simple as having a human body. The citizens of the Radch are already used to thinking of other humans as existing on a sliding scale of person to not-person. To a great extent—within the Radch—whether or not someone is a full person is tied to how “Rachaai” they are. 

Let us return, briefly, to the perception of gender within Rachaai space. In the Radch, people are “she.” Regardless of anatomy, age, or social standing, people are “she.” (Non-people, such as the Justice of Toren are “it.”) In the dominant language of the Radch, the only pronouns are “she” or “it.” 

But if gender is something of a vacuous category in the Radch, what is not is “citizenship.” Many characters throughout the series address each other as “citizen.” It becomes clear early on that “citizenship” is very important in Radch space. If an individual is a citizen, they are a person with rights and protections. If a human is not a citizen, their life is worth little, and they are easily, casually killed. A significant—ominous, even—quirk of the Radchaai language is that to be Radchaai is to be civilized; they are the same word. (Radch space is very bleak for anyone who can’t or doesn’t conform to Radch expectations.) 

The second book, Ancillary Sword, leans heavily into the civilized-uncivilized theme. A particularly repugnant character refers to some of her indentured workers as though they are animals: “the workers on the estate near my country house let loose with all sorts of uncivilized noises that I’m assured are authentic exotic musical survival from the days of their ancestors. I’m told it’s quite nearly a museum display.” (As an aside, this reminded me very strongly of how certain natural history museums have or used to have exhibits of non-western cultures right alongside the exotic animals and relics of bygone eras like fossils.)

To hear a character refer to singing so dismissively is jarring. Breq loves songs. She has had an affinity for singing even since she was Justice of Toren. Songs are art; they can be sung for beauty, for enjoyment, in ritual and custom, to convey a sentiment, and used in communication. But if you’re not quite civilized, you’re not quite a person… if you’re not a person, then doesn’t that mean you’re a little bit of an animal? An animal doesn’t really sing a song; it makes noises. 

To be a person in the Radch, one must be Rachaai. Yet to be Rachaai is not sufficient in and of itself. Justice of Toren is thoroughly of the Radch; Mercy of Kalr is of the Radch; Athoek Station is of the Radch. Yet despite being created by and for the Radch and being imbued with a Rachaai worldview (at least as far as Breq’s struggle with non-she pronouns goes), they are not Rachaai. How could they be? They are AIs. For the average Rachaai citizen, they cannot be “people.” 

If all else fails, be scary

But still the question of personhood is not so simple as a combination of "are you human?" and "are you civilized?" Power is another important factor the calculation of personhood in the Radch. Ancillary Sword and Ancillary Mercy present us with two interesting examples of how these three factors interact: the Presgar and the Gem of Sphene.

Gem of Sphene is a Notai ship; it’s an AI-controlled ship dating from before the Empire of the Radch was founded. It’s neither human nor Rachaai, although its only physical presence in Rachaai space is through one of its ancillaries. (The ancillary is subsequently addressed simply as “Sphene.”) Breq pushes for this ancillary to be treated with some level of respect (to be treated like a Rachaai citizen), and her power means that this wish is granted. To my recollection, Sphene’s presence doesn’t provide much illumination on personhood in the Radch, but Breq has an interesting exchange with Sphene about pronouns. Breq begins by addressing Sphene: 

“‘Tell me, does it bother you to be referred to as it?’ ‘Why would it?’/I [Breq] gestured ambivalence. ‘It troubles some of my crew to hear you referred to as it, when you’re treated like a person. And I call you Cousin and they wouldn’t dream of ever using it for me. Though technically that would be correct.’ ‘And does it bother you to be called she?’ [...] ‘No,’ I admitted. ‘I supposed I’ve gotten used to being called by whatever pronoun seems appropriate to the speaker. I have to admit, I’d take offense if one of my crew called me it. But mostly because I know they’d think of it as an insult.’” 

Although it’s tangential to our personhood conversation, I couldn’t bring myself to omit it entirely because of the view into Breq’s perspective on her own “she/her” pronouns. Breq doesn’t think of herself as “she” because of some internal she-ness, but out of custom and habit and because of the importance the Radch places on “she” rather than “it.” At the same time, Breq doesn’t feel misgendered by the application of “she,” either. It’s also telling that the only one who even thinks to ask if Breq is bothered by being called “she” is another AI. Good stuff! 

(This is consistent with the way Breq refers to ancillaries and ships in other scenes. Breq herself refers to individual ancillaries as “it.” I had to dig through my copy of Ancillary Sword (the second book) to see how Breq refers to ships—she refers to them mostly by name or as “Ship” (capitalized, as due a title or name), but when pressed she refers to ships as “it.”)

On to the Presgar. The Presgar are a non-human alien species. They don’t put in a personal appearance in the series, but they are discussed. Their shadow looms long and ominous. They are the boogeymen of the Imperial Radch and are reminiscent of conceptions of the Fey. They’re inhuman, powerful, and their interests and decisions seem to be made according to some logic or reason that escapes humans. Humanity—by which I do mean the Radch—has a treaty with the Presgar that has been in place long enough that few Rachaai remember the time before the treaty. Breq, as a thousands-of-years-old ship, remembers, and alludes to human ships being captured and pulled apart. Breq gives the impression that these investigations by the Presgar, though invariably fatal to the human crews aboard, were motivated more by curiosity or boredom than any particular malice. 

The Presgar are scary. And although they are not human and not Rachaai, they are treated with respect—or at least with fear, which is close enough in poor light. The Rachaai are mindful of the Presgar’s wishes and the comfort of the Presgar’s ambassadors. (The Presgar’s ambassadors are humans who were raised by the Presgar, and they’re invariably weird.) 

When one of the Presgar ambassadors is killed accidentally on a Rachaai station, the Rachaai bigwigs of that station (including Breq) immediately begin formal Rachaai mourning customs. The rationale is that—although they don’t know the Presgar’s own mourning customs—if they can show that they responded appropriately and respectfully to the death of the Presgar ambassador, perhaps the Presgar will not take offense (followed by taking revenge). In contrast, when ancillaries of Rachaai ships are killed, the bodies are merely disposed of. A dead ambassador is a person; a dead ancillary is waste. 

The Presgar are treated as people (non-human people) because they’re scary. But gunships with platoons of ancillary soldiers aren’t? The AI that controls all the built spaces of a space station—from the doors to the temperature to the airlocks and maintenance and medical bots—isn’t scary? No. Although AIs like Mercy of Kalr and Athoek Station are powerful, their power is invisible. AIs don’t threaten Rachaai citizens. (They do threaten uncivilized humans during imperial expansions, of course, but that doesn’t count.) The Radch built its AIs. They serve the Radch. It’s even reasonable to believe that, as the creators of such AIs, the Radch understands every “thought” and process of the AIs. So they can’t be scary, can’t be threats… until, of course, they are.

All things strive

Of course, what I haven’t said so far is that in the series, the Rachaai conception of who/what “counts” as a person is challenged. Specifically, at the end of the series, Breq, Sphene, Station, and Mercy of Kalr—all AIs—declare themselves to be a new species with their own (freshly-established) government. The Radch’s treaty with the Presgar has certain terms about how humans treat non-human, sentient species, and Breq and the others are able to invoke these terms to protect themselves. The Presgar are such a frightening presence that the Radch retreats. By invoking the scary power of the Presgar, AIs are able to win recognition for their own personhood.

In Ancillary Justice and its accompanying series, personhood is not a simple matter of “human or not.” Humanity and citizenship are entwining factors in what makes someone a person, but in the end how powerful (read: scary) an entity is can trump the other two factors. In the traditional Rachaai conception, a person is “she,” but a person can also be “he” or even—after three books’ worth of growth—“it.” 

==

Afterword: I thought this was going to be a short blog post I could bang out in a day, and it ballooned pretty dramatically. What do you think? What did I miss? What did I leave out? (I am certain that there are many things in both categories!) 

Other topics I would have liked to explore: 

As far as the “are you a human” test goes, how much of “this is a human” is defined just by numbers? What about the personhood of entities that only ever inhabited a human body? What about someone born human who goes on to inhabit multiple human bodies? I can sense some Ship of Theseus stuff. 

Anaander’s existence poses interesting contrasts to Breq. To the Radch, she is inarguably a person. But whereas over the course of the series, Breq goes from “not a person” to “more of a person” in the in-universe perception, I’d say that Anaander goes from “a person” to “is this a person” in the reader’s perception. 

Even more than Anaander, I’d love to spend more time with Tisarwat. I really loved the development of this character, especially the final dialogue exchange she has with Breq about her eyes. (That one gave me SO MANY feels.)

If you made it this far, thank you so much for reading. I’m also planning to tackle Murderbot and the Discworld, but the way this section has ballooned out of control has intimidated me a bit. But I also can’t let it go, so maybe I’ll see you in a few months when I’ve finished compiling my book passing thoughts about those two beloved series.

[longearedhare]

So Tisarwat is allegorically Breq’s daughter, right? Are we all in agreement about that?

reminder that Breq was the one who ripped Anaander Mianaai out of Tisarwat’s head, which is when current Tisarwat was ‘born’. and Breq is one of the only people alive who can even kind of understand the mental agony she’s in.

[gravitasdeficits]

Big Signalis spoiler post because I finished it and have feelings

Again, really glad I had read things like A Memory Called Empire and Ancillary Justice before playing this. What an incredible game. Mildly disappointed that the endings are status dependent and not choice driven (I missed out on the ending I would have chosen by finishing 4 minutes of play time ahead of the timer RIP). These status gates are MILES better than the Cyberpunk "YOLO Solo, Matrix 1 redux" ending being gated behind three lines of dialogue that have no indications as to their significance and 0 logic behind not thinking to do it yourself without Johnny mentioning the option?

Anyway: Signalis. There are a lot of things that cut short relationships, things that can tear relationships apart, and things that can make relationships seem less real, but you have the memories of what you loved. I think that's the main bit?

I have only glanced at a single fan theory to try and square a particular circle (ending Ariane is a transformed Alina which I agree with) so if the community has a consensus I've not seen it.

On the Promise ending: I think Original Ariane is far, far away on some distant rock persisting through her bioresonance amidst the song of stars and whatever cosmic entity or entities or force that is. Ariane-who-was-Alina is being rewritten, as bioresonance can shape reality from afar, and killing her as promised grants Ariane death through the resonance.

Is that what actually happened? That's just my theory, there's a ton of wiggle room in basically everything because reality, time, and personality/volition/souls are malleable in this game.

I think this is the basic chronology?

Ancient Civilization (possibly related to Grand Empress) unearths something terrible on Leng beneath the Red Eye of the gas giant, learns from it, deeply regrets this, and tries to seal it all away

Empire develops

Empire develops Replikas with bioresonance

Nation develops as revolution against, coincidentally near Leng and the Red Eye of the planet

Nation develops stronger bioresonant super soldiers and "things learn to walk that ought to crawl". Lots of references to using a power they don't understand. But nothing cosmically terrible is happening yet, "just" authoritarian revolution terrible.

Nation conquers Leng, its people have a long, long history of trying to ward away supposedly imagined evil from the Red Eye. They are aware or semi-aware of cosmic horror, via The King In Yellow text.

Ariane lives with her mother and develops her own individuality in the remote radio station

Ariane's aunt uses the power of the state to remove her from her mother's care and bring her to Rotfront

Ariane finds her doppelganger in Alina, mentions this to her mother

Ariane is discovered to be bioresonant, but this discovery is either not left in her file (for the military to see) or she subconsciously uses her bioresonance to shape a reality that has her accepted into the Penrose program (side note: the Penrose program may also be a "send the troublesome people who want to be individuals away on a mission that may or may not succeed but permanently removes the person" program)

Ariane and Elster meet and being the mission on the ship (year 1)

Ariane and Elster fall in love (year 2 ish?)

Ariane and Elster live an incredible life, in contrast to what they would have had in fear of re-education torture or decommissioning respectively, for 5-7 years. 5-7 years of loving, compassion, and support.

They do not find a planet, and the ship begins to fall apart, this would have normally been the endpoint of their love, but Ariane is bioresonant and she is now out among the Song of Stars, dreaming

Elster places her in the cryochamber and unfortunately dies of radiation/cancer before fulfilling the promise of killing Ariane so that she isn't alone and possibly suffering

Penrose crashes on a distant, icy place (or alternatively is subsumed entirely by the Song of Stars) and Ariane becomes The Dreamer

A bioresonant created Elster awakens on the crashed ship memory, leaves, and finds the Gate/threshold on the planet it is on. This Elster (possibly realizing what's happened) gives up when reaching Ariane's room, losing herself but not able to fully disintegrate like the Gestalt's do later.

Something (possibly Ariane? Her mother, longing for her daughter, trying to hear her through the radio? Maybe the created Elster interacting with the planet, gate, and memory of a room?) links Leng to where the Penrose is/has crashed. Or it links via Ariane's bioresonance and longing. Or some other thing.

The workers in the mine discover the Nowhere, Falke investigates

I think Falke kills something within the Nowhere and, as the adapted Nuclear Waste Repository warning states, a path opens within, the gate and threshold (I don't think there was a lore entry to directly support this)

Falke goes into the gate and Ariane's bioresonance tries to overwrite Falke with Elster, this is not entirely successful.

Falke returns, the downfall of S23 begins, each time loop iteration causes further corruption to reality as "the Dreamer turns and the flesh of the dream turns and is smoothed out around it" (or however that lore piece went), Alina begins to become Ariane

The Dream eventually reaches an LSTR unit (tragically, it appears to have had a friendship or more intimate relationship with the Ara that repairs your flashlight, but that relationship isn't Elster and is overwritten, and that Ara is sad afterwards ;_;).

Many many many cycles happen, filling the elevator with LSTR bodies as Elster slowly overwrites that mind

Elster begins to move through the main game, Alina is fully overwritten by Ariane, who comes to the representation of the Penrose on the Path, and enters the cryo pod, and Elster brings the Dreaming cycle to an end by killing Ariane via Ariane-who-is-Alina in resonance, fulfilling the promise.

And then I cried a bit, because goddamn the look of anguish on Elster in the promise ending. Fuuuuuuuck.

All these relationship are incredible for being a few lines of lore text and environmental objects.

STAR Hunter and STRCH Seven. They were paired together for stability but had a genuine connection (and maybe an intimate one, based on the "incident involving a certain STAR" note? Which also means that this was accepted by the staff and they made allowances and modifications to support it and aaaaaargh my heart). The pinup poster Hunter signs for Seven. Seven holding onto Hunter's bullseye markers (I think there were four items there with the poster? Plus Seven's stun prod and shield make 6, so maybe Seven was a nickname the Eule's give with Hunter being another, forbidden seventh thing she has in her life?). Seven outshooting some of the other STARs.

Falke and the Eules. The Eule's try to save the last Kolibri I think, by locking her in the library and then hiding the key in the Owl box, kept safe under Falke's arms. Hearing the Swan Lake bit almost got me crying there with the implications of affection they must have had for each other, Falke, and the Kolibris.

Kolibri's and Falke, knowing that something had gone wrong but being both unable to stop it and extra screwed (I think Ariena shaped their fate worse than general inadvertently, remember the little "Caul-ibri" cauliflower head sketch in the middle Penrose memory? I think she must not have like Kolibris due to their super-Gestapo powers and so the Kolibris had a more tortured existence as the Song of Stars overtook them and the flesh folded over itself in each cycle of the Dreaming)

The Eule's giving people nicknames, and dancing, and loving music

KLBR and KNCR at Rotfront. I think that Kolibri was the Imperial "spy" or perhaps just a lone Kolibri who was disillusioned with the Nation and was letting things slide, which is why the people of the block were friendlier to her (the book store owners letting her in, knowing that it was her safe space while alone from other Kolibris). The KNCR unit I think knew, and cared for her, and tried to tell her to turn someone else in. But the Kolibri ran into the Bioresonant Ariane and decided to book it instead. This is also an indication that maybe the Empire isn't, like, terrible? Or just differently terrible to the Nation (which seems fuck awful).

Adler having the right intentions (though, uh, generally being bad by being a tool of the Nation's cruelty) but not having enough puzzle pieces to do anything right, becoming a tragic figure who just wants his Giant Woman commander back that he adores, and eventually just wanting to halt the destruction of the whole planet (even though this is the final loop but he couldn't know that).

Itou and her sister. I'm not entirely sure what happened, I think the time loop business must not have spread evenly as Itou's family has her photo in a frame with what I assume is a signifier of death (a black ribbon across the bottom corner). So she is a resonance creation like all the other gestalts who gave up earlier than her, as the flesh turns on itself as the dreamer turns on herself. She survives the tortures of S-23, escapes the madness of that facility, makes it all the way to Rotfront, and then is beaten by the realization that everyone has died, and possibly died many many times already.

The Aras all trying to find a place to hide and find comfort in tunnels and maintenance accesses

I think the Mynah boss is particularly tragic? She is, from the lore bits, the most stable of Repliaks, motherly, protective. So she sees you and decides to let go (the same animation as Itou when she lets go), but the armor is corrupted and snaps shut, keeping her "intact", where she will occasionally be able to continue escaping that fate until you kill her (I wonder if you can also let her finish the task herself by dodging around a lot but that seems cruel).

So many systems to erase individuality! The Nation's treatment of Gestalts, Replikas, the process of making and "stabilizing" Replikas. Ariane overwriting individuality through the Dreaming. The fears of the people of Leng, who seem to harbor some partial awareness of the Song of Stars. And the Song of Stars, that sea of commingling where individuality is lost, which the Kolibris uniquely dreaded, knowing what was coming.

And the ways to escape, like the Penrose. Thinking at first that this was better than anything, than it actually being better than anything via love, and then ending too soon and a yearning for more despite the initial reaction on leaving of, "anything if it's not the Nation, even death and being alone". The small relationships and individuals who developed in small ways the Nation wouldn't obliterate at S23 (which doesn't obviate the horrific things perpetrated there). The Gestalt who managed to thrive where they could (with their banned books at distant radio installations, for example).

Just an incredible game. 10/10. And all of the above just one of however many possible reads on the whole thing.

[g4rchomp]

I finished "Ancillary Justice" and I need to talk about it (spoilers down below + very, very long post sorry) This post is mostly a repository for my thoughts so it's messy but anyone is welcome to read and reply ofc, it's always fun to share :^)

First, I really loved the book. I loved the concept, I loved universe, I loved the characters, I loved the story. I was warned the pacing would be slow but I was on the edge on my seat most of the time, it just clicked for me.

I think you can never go wrong with exploring what it means to be human. To explore what consciousness, grief, love, hope, revenge means. Ann Leckie does this really well in this book and Breq has been on my mind ever since I read more than 10 pages of the book.

what it means to be an AI, what it means to make choices

Since it's a central part of the book, I was a little bit disappointed that Breq and other ship consciousnesses were simply explained as being "AIs", which little elaboration. I would have loved to have a little more substance around that. That being said, I think it's mostly because conversations around AI flourished in the past 2-5 years, the Radch chronicles were written in 2013 so just saying "AI" didn't have the same implications as it does today.

One thing I loved was the exploration of what making choices meant for both ancillary and human characters. It is both central to Awn and Breq's characters. Awn feels helpless during the Tanmind riots and thinks she has "no choice" which is then questioned by Skaaiat. Breq understands that in a way, but it really resonates with her when she's confronted with orders to kill Awn later on. to me that's a moment where Breq's (One Esk at that point) humanity starts to truly shine through. What does it mean to have a choice? What does it mean to make choices? What's the difference between the two? Under the Radch rule, choices are constrained and consequences are heavy, but it doesn't mean the choices you make can't have a long lasting impact, one way or another.

speaking of empires...

who doesn't love an evil empire? I'll never get mad a "empires are evil" tropes in sci-fi because it simply is true and that message is still very much needed. In Ancillary Justice, I just wish the bureaucratic works that underpins the stability of such huge empires was more insisted on. what do you mean it only takes a few days to receive a visa to enter the Radch????? it's easier to enter the Imperial Radch than it is Canada lol. the ships, the palace, the thousand of Anaander Mianaai, all of it is part of an administrative structure that, at the same time, is integral to the survival and reach of the Empire and also a major source of breaches that make it impossible for an Empire to truly see and control everything.

in a way, we see that through Anaander's split, an empire that stretches so far out it falls into pieces and cannibalizes itself. I thought that was great. however, I feel like the Empire is a little too centered on Anaander Mianaai as a person, it's personalized in her which I think is reductive. empires aren't bad because their leaders are bad, they're bad because they're empires. I hope this will be touched on during the next two books!

on another note, I love that the two parts of Anaander Mianaai aren't in complete opposition. one part is expansionist and openly violent but the other part doesn't want to abolish the Radch, she's reformist, she's liberal. nowwww an empire that transforms into a version of itself that still holds immense power but through a "democratic" facade where have we seen that before I wondeerrrr. it's a strong point of the book and I hope Breq continues to distrust Anaander Mianaai forever. also when it's reveal that Breq's last name is Mianaai now. eye roll of the century. when Anaander thanks Breq for being confrontational with her "no one else does this hihi" yes because you kill them. great vilain. an empire that absorbs everything like a black hole even it's strongest detractors. I hope this gets even more expanded on later in the series.

on returning to previous states

another thing I hope the next two books address is Breq's new position as a ship commandant. the destruction of the Justice of Toren marks such a big shift in Breq's character it just feels weird to see her in a position of power, on a ship, with at best mixed feelings about the situation. it feels almost a bit out of character to see her lead after the last 20 years of her life. it's like she went back to a previous state, which is not something I like to see in fiction. I'm looking forward to see how things develop but my impression was that Breq was longing for something else now, a revenge that did not imply playing by the same rules she did before.

also, Breq's goal in the first book was to shoot (not kill) Anaander Mianaai, which she did. so what's her goal now? I feel like it's not clearly stated and her post-shooting attitude lacks exploration. she just goes with the flow and see where it takes her next but for some reason it didn't feel satisfactory to me. it's what I thought was the biggest weakness in the book.

I love Strigan

that's it I love her, I loved her relationship with Breq. in a way she is to Breq what Skaaiat has been for Awn: a turning point. she pushes her to recognize her own agency, think deeply about the choices that are afforded to her and the consequences of making or not making those choices. I hope she makes a comeback.

ofc I love Seivarden too, there seems to be much about her we don't know bc Breq simply doesn't care but I like her and I want to see what's next for her.

I didn't get the bridge scene

I feel like I missed something. why would Seivarden fall? what was the significance of this scene? so Seivarden could be grateful for Breq? but she already had a reason (Breq saved her in the snow). or so Breq could be grateful to Seivarden for saving her? but it's already established Breq has a weird attachement to Sievarden, it didn't need more. was it to show Breq's superhuman abilities? we already knew that (in both timelines) was it to force Breq into a vulnerable position? but then why do that through a 3km fall? I would love to know what everyone's interpretation of this scene was. it felt significant but I can't say why, it bugs me lol

"pronouns are gimmicky" blablabla

ik the series is well known partly for the use of she/her pronouns throughout the text, telling the story through a radchaai language perspective. people noted that Breq speaks multiple languages and isn't human anyways so she wouldn't struggle with discriminating gender. first of all, I don't care. second of all, it was seamless and well executed. everyone who says it's gimmicky is wrong in my eyes and I'm not willing to elaborate. I loved it, it was fun and it was a fresh perspective. also I read the book in french, which uses masculine pronouns as a "neutral" form so it felt even better.

(voice of a guy who has only ever read Dune):

which gets me to my next point. the series has been compared to Ursula LeGuin's work and I can see why (I love LeGuin, I haven't read all of her work yet but she's a staple in my heart and mind). buuuuut I thought a lot of elements were very Dune-esque which I personally loved. the obsessive attention to minor physical changes to indicate emotions, the subtle but meaningful hand gestures, the grand houses competing for power, the divided emperor god, the space poems (Gurney Halleck am I right) the sentient/ almost human made-to-serve clone (Duncan Idaho am I right) and the list goes on.

so yeah I feel like we compare women sci-fi author for their inclusion of feminist perspectives in their work without giving a lot of consideration to the other themes they explore and how they do so. the comparison with LeGuin (or Martha Well) is interesting but to me the merits of Ancillary go beyond the issues of gender. (and by that I don't mean that LeGuin or Well's work is only good bc of their perspectives on gender I hope that's clear I love both their work for many, many reasons INCLUDING but going beyond this one does that make sense?)

Anyways that's ittt! pitch me tomatoes or nod sagely or tell me what you thought abt that bridge scene I'd love to hear it! onto Ancillary Sword now

[burningdarkfire]

Ahdkdhs ancillary justice sg? 👀👀👀👀👀👀👀

HI YES thank you for asking about this one because i do love the concept and i think i could love writing it. if only i wrote it

(ask me about my WIPs!)

caleb-as-breq and essek-as-seivarden, focused mostly in the major time jump that happens in AJ (trying to keep it ambiguous for the sake of spoilers) and what happens to their relationship during that time, with many things of course shifted to the left to allow for a particularly critical role sort of flavouring

it's still a very early draft, because i quickly intimidated myself out of working on this project (😂) but i do hope to return to it someday!

here's a snippet:

Essek watched Caleb sleep.

Correctives had been applied all over his body, though most of them were hidden now under the heavy blanket. The temperature in the medical tent of the outpost was certainly warmer than outside, but it was still cold—Essek had kept his coat and sat now, hunched and miserable, to the alternating bemusement or disapproval of the two nurses that checked in once an hour.

"He won't wake for another few days." This was the disapproving one. The outpost belonged to the Dynasty—her ears were pointed and her skin a deep amethyst—but her accent was so thick Essek could hardly understand her. "You ought to be in bed yourself."

He ought to, perhaps. But Essek had always had a little trouble with ought.

[rjalker]

for a moment I was like "but why does she have both legs" and then I remembered it's because she hasn't lost one yet, that's why.