#The Starry Sky and Leslie’s List | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

grasscorpse · 4 years ago

Text

The Starry Sky and Leslie’s List: Chapter 4

*From Ynntranslations

At 6 am, with the clanging sound of the bell, the children began to get up from their beds.

“Good morning!”

“Isabella, I can’t tie my shoelaces!”

“Put my hair in pigtails!”

One of Isabella’s little brothers, who had taken a liking to her, came up to her, displaying his shoes with the shoelaces still untied. A little sister approached her carrying a brush and a ribbon.

“Good morning. Give me a second and I’ll do it for you.”

Having woken up before the bell, Isabella had already gotten dressed and braided her hair. She skillfully helped her little brother get his shoes on, and did her little sister’s hair.

She liked taking care of the little kids, but today, she wanted to hurry up and go see Leslie.

Exiting into the hallway, Isabella searched for Leslie among her siblings heading for the dining room. On confirming that he had already left the second floor, she rushed down the stairs. On the way, her siblings, one after another, wanted to talk to her, and Isabella was forced to halt each time.

Scanning the hallway that lead to the dining room, she finally spotted Leslie walking next to the wall. Taking a deep breath, she dashed toward him.

“Leslie!” Isabella called out to him from behind. She did her best to sound casual, saying his name the same way as always.

“I’m sorry for getting mad yesterday.”

She gave an honest, direct apology. She didn’t want to make excuses or try to justify herself.

Leslie, who had been staring down at the notebook in his hand, jerked his head up and said, “No, I’m the one who needs to apologize!”—or so Isabella expected.

“… Okay.”

Doing his best to stick his face in his notebook, Leslie sped up to pass Isabella, who had been beside him.

“Oh…”

Isabella wanted to call out and stop him, but her voice trailed off. Left behind in the hallway, Isabella was unable to pursue him.

She had never even imagined that he would react like that. She stood there, stunned.

I really did hurt him…

Isabella hung her head, thinking that he was so angry that he didn’t even want to speak to her. She had been so sure that everything would be okay as long as she apologized, Leslie’s reaction had left her visibly shocked.

“…”

Isabella had never even seen Leslie get angry before. Even when the little kids played pranks on him or talked back to him, he would only smile awkwardly. If you apologized to him, he’d fall all over himself trying to accept, to the point it was hard to tell who was apologizing to whom.

She had come to take his kindness for granted. That was why she had run her mouth without thinking.

Isabella snapped back to reality on hearing her siblings call out to her.

“Heeey, Isabella! Come help out!”

“O-okay,” Isabella quickly replied, and ran to the dining room. She joined her siblings setting the table, smiling as though nothing was wrong.

“Thank you for the food!”

All of them clasped their hands and said grace, then began their meal.

As she scooped up a bit of soup, Isabella stole a glance at Leslie, who was sitting at a distant table. Normally, he had a gentle expression on his face, but today, he was unsmiling, with a stiff, brooding look.

During their morning tests, and then laundry time after that, and at lunchtime too, Leslie refused to meet Isabella’s eyes. As time went on, the expression on his face seemed to grow darker.

At last, their free time arrived, but Leslie immediately disappeared.

“Isabella, where’s Leslie?”

“Where’d he go?”

“It’s his last day, right? I wanna play with him!”

Her younger siblings tugged at her sleeve one after another, and Isabella smiled awkwardly.

“… Good question. I’m going to go look for him.”

From the doorway, Isabella scanned the yard. The youngest were playing next to Mama, and a little further away, a few children were racing one another. Leslie was not among them.

Isabella spun around and reentered the House.

Was he in the music room practicing the violin, or maybe reading in the library? Because the weather was so nice, everyone else had left the House as soon as the bell announcing their free time rang. The interior of the House was dead silent, but even listening closely, Isabella couldn’t hear the sound of a violin.

Isabella ran up the stairs.

There’s only a little time left…!

Leslie was not in the library or the bedrooms. On his bedside table, the books that Isabella had brought in were carefully lined up. She checked the music room just in case, but it was deserted. Wanting to be absolutely sure, she looked and found that the violin he had played was still in its case on the shelf.

“…”

Isabella paused in the second-floor hallway. She had the strangest feeling, as though the future, when Leslie would be gone, had arrived a day early.

And when the day ended, it would become reality.

The sadness welled up in her, seeming to rise from beneath like a freezing wind.

When the day of Leslie’s departure from the House had been set, she had wanted to celebrate for his sake, but at the same time, she felt hopelessly lonely.

When she had found out about his “list of goals” while he was packing his things, she had pushed him to work on it less for his own sake than because she wanted to spend time with Leslie doing something before the end.

But that had backfired.

If they hadn’t tried to tackle his list, Leslie wouldn’t have lost his confidence and decided that he’d never be able to do any of it. She would never have been so harsh with him, either.

And yet Isabella couldn’t bring herself to think that it would have been better if she’d never given him the push to try. Leslie might say that he can’t do anything right, but that wasn’t true. No matter what anyone else might say, Isabella knew it wasn’t true.

Leslie had given her so much in the time they had spent together.

Pleasant times and gentle songs.

That was why she wanted to help him, to do something in return. Once he left for the outside, she wouldn’t be able to do anything for him anymore.

“I don’t want to let him leave like this…”

The words escaped Isabella’s lips.

That’s right, they had so little time left to do anything together. She didn’t want to say goodbye to Leslie while he was still hurting from what she had done.

“Then I’ve got to apologize now and do it right.”

Raising her head, Isabella took a deep breath, determined. She raced down the stairs, jumping over an entire set of stairs at once, and threw the front door open wide.

“Isabella?”

“Where are you going?”

On seeing Isabella come running out, her siblings, who had been playing, called out to her, but it only took a moment for their voices to grow distant behind her.

Isabella ran for the forest.

She quickly reached the hill where she had often found Leslie, but she didn’t see him in the shade of the tree there.

Breathing heavily, she stopped and looked around. There was no one within sight, only a butterfly slowly fluttering away.

Then the only place left is…

Isabella’s gaze shifted to the trees of the forest crowded together.

Suddenly, she thought of number 8 from the list.

“‘I will go see what’s on the other side of the forest.'”

“…”

Consciously slowing her breath, Isabella turned it over in her mind. If Leslie had decided to challenge some of the items on his list that he hadn’t gotten around to yesterday, then he might have tried to go past the fence by himself.

The instant it occurred to her, she began running. Isabella descended the hill and turned toward the forest, her boots striking the grass beneath. On entering the woods, she was surrounded by the familiar scent of the greenery that filled the suddenly cool air. Without any hesitation, Isabella followed the trees and rocks she used as landmarks.

She knew the forest on the grounds of the House like the back of her hand, but even Isabella couldn’t easily locate Leslie within such a large area.

This is just like playing hide-and-seek…

Isabella giggled.

But I will find him, no matter what!

Isabella followed the same route they had taken when playing tag yesterday. If Leslie had tried to go deeper into the forest, it would make sense for him to take the same path as yesterday, until he reached the spot they had gone to.

Leaping over the undergrowth and never losing speed, Isabella made her way there, where she discovered footprints in the soft earth. On top of the footprints she thought were the ones the two of them had left the day before were a fresh set.

“Are these Leslie’s…?”

As Isabella glanced around, she heard faint noises, and a voice.

“Agh!”

She rushed in the direction the voice had come from. The footprints on the ground led there, as well. Making her way through the trees, she found a large branch sticking out.

It belonged to the tree she had climbed to hide yesterday, and Leslie was there, on its very lowest branch.

“Leslie?”

“Oh, Isabella! What are you doing here…?”

In his surprise, Leslie accidentally lost his grip on the branch and fell from the tree.

“AHH!”

Fallen flat on his backside, Leslie gaped openmouthed at Isabella’s sudden appearance.

“Isabella… how did you know I was here…?”

Isabella extended her hand to Leslie, who was still lying on the ground. Leslie hesitantly gripped her hand, and she pulled him to his feet.

“You had ‘see what’s on the other side of the forest’ on your list, so I thought that you might be trying to do that one…”

“Oh, I see… I got stuck on number 5, though.”

Leslie suddenly let go of Isabella’s hand. Seeing him hanging his head, Isabella opened her mouth to speak, though she seemed to be having a difficult time getting the words out.

“Um, Leslie, I—”

“Isabella, I’m sorry about yesterday!”

Cutting off Isabella’s hesitant words, Leslie bowed his head forcefully.

“What…?”

Isabella, who had come all that way in order to properly apologize, widened her eyes at hearing Leslie apologize to her first.

Leslie, his hair shifting as he bowed his head deeply, spoke in a sudden burst.

“When you said that to me yesterday, Isabella, I… I realized that I’ve only been thinking about myself, and I regretted it. All I was thinking about was my own doubts and lack of self-confidence, and I never noticed that you had your own worries to deal with.”

Leslie said “I’m sorry” once more.

“So… I knew I couldn’t do all of them, but I wanted to at least accomplish the things on my list that you helped me with, and then apologize to you.”

Leslie slumped his shoulders pitifully.

“But of course, I couldn’t do anything… After what happened yesterday, I tried to read as much as I could, but I fell asleep. Then I thought I’d try to get a perfect score on my last test somehow, so I spent the morning reviewing everything you taught me, but I couldn’t do it after all.

“But I did get the best score I’ve ever gotten!” Leslie added, with a broad, happy smile.

“I came here so I could practice climbing trees during our free time, but…”

Leslie glanced at his hands, smeared with dirt and covered in little cuts and scrapes, and smiled bitterly.

Isabella simply looked at him.

He must have fallen from the tree over and over again. Not only his hands, but his once white clothes as well, had gotten dirty and torn. The freckles on his nose were also smudged with dirt. Leslie raised a hand to wipe at the sweat that had left his hair matted to his face.

“I got as far as that branch, though I still had a little ways to go before I made it to where you climbed yesterday.”

He looked up at a branch above his head and pointed. He had determined that if he could reach the branch Isabella had climbed to, that would certify that he was able to climb trees. Leslie again grabbed on to the tree. Bracing his feet, he tried to pull himself onto the branch, awkwardly extending his legs.

He began to slide back down. He held onto the branch so hard that his face turned a deep red, but lacking strength, he fell back down to the ground. Leslie staggered to his feet and gripped the branch, muttering to himself, “One more time.”

“You won’t get anywhere if you put your foot there. Use this branch to climb up,” Isabella said abruptly to Leslie, walking up to the tree.

“What…? Oh, uh, okay!”

Leslie was a bit startled to hear her voice from below him, but he moved his foot to the branch Isabella had indicated, and found himself in a more stable position.

Still holding on to the branch, he sneaked a glance at Isabella standing below.

He had thought that Isabella must be disillusioned with him, that she wouldn’t help him challenge his list anymore. But she had come all the way here searching for him, and was still encouraging and supporting him.

Isabella rested her hand on the trunk of the tree.

“Climbing a tree isn’t just a matter of strength or agility. You also have to think about where to put your hands and feet, and what route you can take to get up to the branch you want to reach. If you can figure that out, climbing is really easy.”

Listening to Isabella’s advice, Leslie blinked. He’d never thought that way about tree climbing. He’d always assumed that he just wasn’t suited to it due to his lack of athletic ability and strength, but strangely, looking at it this way made it seem like it might not be so difficult. The way Isabella talked about it made him think of chess or puzzles. At that thought, Leslie chuckled.

“That’s just like you, Isabella.”

“What?”

“Oh, nothing.”

Feeling calmer, Leslie gave the tree a good look. He would need a foothold near the branch that was his goal. If he were too far away, then even if the branch were within his arm’s reach, he wouldn’t be able to climb onto it.

“Let’s see…”

Leslie carefully chose his footholds, on branches and in hollows, and made his way up the tree.

“All right… I made it here.”

At last, he stood on a branch he had never reached before. He was high up enough that, with some effort, he would be able to touch the branch he was aiming for. With his hands still against the trunk, Leslie looked down at Isabella.

“Leslie, don’t look down!”

“Ahh! This is… r-really high up…”

Leslie had never experienced being at such a height before, and he froze up. His hands suddenly began to sweat, and his heart pounded like a drum. As though it were deliberate, the wind began to blow, causing him to wobble.

Leslie whimpered and grew pale, and Isabella yelled to him from below.

“Keep at it, Leslie!”

When he heard her trying to encourage him, Leslie shook his head, shivering. Pressing his body against the trunk, he slid down until he was sitting on the branch, and closed his eyes tightly.

“I-I can’t do it… I’m going to come back down.”

“Don’t give up!”

Slowly, Leslie opened his eyes just wide enough too see, and he was met with Isabella’s sincere gaze.

“You made it that far! Everything will be fine, just keep going!”

Leslie kept his eyes on her face, although it felt like trying to look into the sun.

At that moment, it hit him that today would be his last day there, the thought filling his mind.

The time he was spending with Isabella, here in the forest, would come to an end. The afternoon sunlight shone through the leaves of the trees, illuminating Isabella’s face.

Her dark eyes reflected the light.

“Okay…”

Leslie poured his strength into his shaking arms and drove from his mind all visions of falling and thoughts of how high up he was. His legs still felt weak from fear, but he managed to slowly stand up. He looked for a branch he could use to continue climbing.

“Just a little farther, Leslie.”

If he had tried this alone, he would have given up and walked away long ago. Mustering all his courage, he let go of the trunk and moved to a branch that was within reach. He planted his foot on it.

And then at last, Leslie arrived at the spot that he had thought was impossible for him to reach. Standing atop the branch, he looked down. By now, he no longer felt any fear.

“Ha ha ha, I climbed it! I did it, Isabella!”

“You really did! That was amazing, Leslie!”

Isabella cheered and jumped, looking up at him the whole time.

“Ah, Isabella, look out!”

Looking down from above, Leslie had noticed a broken branch lying right where Isabella’s foot was about to land.

It was the sort of tiny obstacle that she could effortlessly dodge, normally, but because she had failed to look down, Isabella tripped. Leslie, still at the top of the tree, could only watch.

“Huh?”

“Isabella!”

Her ankle bent at an odd angle, and she fell backwards.

#The Starry Sky and Leslie’s List #the promised neverland novel #tpn novel #tpn isabella #tpn leslie #the promised neverland isabella #Yakusoku no Neverland #isabella #the promised neverland

17 notes · View notes

themetallicnemesis · 4 years ago

Note

Hi! I know it's not a ask, but I recommend you read the official novel (The Starry Sky and Leslie’s List) where they explain more about the past of Isabella and Leslie. Maybe it will help you too with the AU! And please never stop drawing, it's wonderful 💞!

Thanks, i didn't even knew there was a leslie novel!

1 note · View note

fillthevoid-with-space · 7 years ago

Link

Stargazing is a difficult task, especially under adverse weather conditions, but human beings have also made it much harder for ourselves with all these pesky electrical lights and such. Light pollution affects vast swathes of inhabited land, but the introduction of Dark Sky Reserves helps to improve observational conditions for amateur and professional astronomers. Today, you get to hear more about Dark Sky Reserves as well as the Bortle Scale, which is used to judge the amount of light pollution affecting stargazing within an area.

Below the cut are my sources, music credits, a vocab list, and the transcript of this episode. Suggest what you think I should research next by messaging me here, tweeting at me at @HDandtheVoid, or asking me to my face if you know me. Please subscribe on iTunes, rate it and maybe review it, and tell friends if you think they’d like to hear it!

(My thoughts on the next episode are space race history, the transit of Venus, Shen Kuo, or Walter Baade. The next episode will be up on December 18th.)

Glossary

airglow - a very faint, bluish, naturally occurring glow that hangs around the horizon on Earth, usually within about 15 degrees of the horizon line.

Bortle Scale - an objective scale to measure the clarity and effect of light pollution on a night’s stargazing. Black and grey zones are the best for stargazing, blue is for rural skies, green and yellow are the rural/suburban transition zone, orange is the suburban sky, red is bright suburbia, and white is for cities and inner cities.

deep-sky object - any cosmological object that isn’t individual stars or something from our Solar System. It’s a classification that includes nebulae, galaxies, and star clusters, and it has its roots in amateur astronomy.

ecliptic - the path of the Sun across the sky over the course of a year.

gegenschein - a faint brightening in the night sky directly opposite the Sun. Astronomers think it’s caused by the reflection of sunlight off of dust ejected by comets or resulting from asteroid destruction.

light pollution - the excessive, misdirected, or intrusive use of artificial, human-made lighting. There are several major types of light pollution:

glare - when too-bright and poorly directed lights blind people.

light trespass - when neighboring lights are so bright that their light spills over and illuminates others’ property.

overillumination - when excessive lights are used in a small area.

skyglow - the visible glow caused by light scattering and reflecting off of the droplets of atmospheric molecules.

lumen - a measurement of a light’s brightness.

magnitude - the measurement of a star’s brightness as seen from Earth. The brighter it is, the lower its magnitude value. Ex. the Sun has an apparent magnitude of -27.

Messier object - a deep-sky object included on a list of 103-110 deep-sky objects made by Charles Messier and his colleagues in the 18th century in an attempt to prevent fuzzy, bright objects from being confused with comets.

zodiacal light - a faint brightening in the night sky along the ecliptic that results from sunlight scattered forward off dust in the direction of the Sun.

Transcript

Sources

Sodium lamp light pollution reduction effects via Flagstaff Dark Skies Coalition

Types of light pollution via the British Astronomical Association’s Campaign for Dark Skies, 2009

Light pollution via Sky and Telescope, Dec 2008

The World Atlas of Artificial Night Sky Brightness via the Light Pollution Science and Technology Institute

Lumens and watts via Lowes

UNESCO World Heritage Site list

Invention of the light bulb via SPS Industrial

Lightbulb components via CIO

Walter Baade bio via the Royal Astronomy Society of Canada

International Dark-Sky Association

“An IDA International Dark Sky Reserve is a public or private land possessing an exceptional or distinguished quality of starry nights and nocturnal environment that is specifically protected for its scientific, natural, educational, cultural, heritage and/or public enjoyment. Reserves consist of a core area meeting minimum criteria for sky quality and natural darkness, and a peripheral area that supports dark sky preservation in the core. Reserves are formed through a partnership of multiple land managers who have recognized the value of the natural nighttime environment through regulations and long-term planning.”

“The core area must provide an exceptional dark sky resource, relative to the communities and cities that surround it, where the night sky brightness is routinely equal to or darker than 20 magnitudes per square arc second.”

John Bortle’s article on his magnitude scale via Sky and Telescope, July 2006

“I have created a nine-level scale. It is based on nearly 50 years of observing experience. I hope it will prove both enlightening and useful to observers — though it may stun or even horrify some! Should it come into wide use, it would provide a consistent standard for comparing observations with light pollution.”

John E. Bortle receives the Leslie C. Peltier Award in 2013 via the Astronomical Society

Bortle dark sky scale via Big Sky Astronomy Club

Bortle dark sky scale via LSU

Gegenschein via Sky and Telescope, Oct 2015

Messier List via Fred Espenak’s website, Astropixels

Caldwell List via Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (SEDS)

Intro Music: ‘Better Times Will Come’ by No Luck Club off their album Prosperity

Filler Music: ‘New Son/Burnt Iron’ by Trampled by Turtles off their album Palomino

Outro Music: ‘Fields of Russia’ by Mutefish off their album On Draught

#podcast #light pollution #Dark Sky Preserves #dark sky reserves #stargazing

1 note · View note

tiprbooks · 7 years ago

Text

books read in 2018

1. love, life and the list - kasie west 2. something borrowed - emily giffin 3. anne of avonlea - l. m. montgomery 4. anne of the island - l. m. montgomery 5. the hating game - sally thorne 6. sapiens - yuval noah harari 7. this is our story - ashley elston 8. this love story will self-destruct - leslie cohen 9. made in manhattan - amanda stauffer 10. the sea of tranquility - katja millay 11. love letters to the dead - ava dellaira 12. anna and the french kiss - stephanie perkins 13. amy and roger’s epic detour - morgan matson 14. the bronze horseman - paullina simons 15. the way to game the walk of shame - jenn nguyen 16. summer skin - kirsty eagar 17. jellicoe road - mellina marchetta 18. graffiti moon - cath crowley 19. going too far - jennifer echols 20. forget you - jennifer echols 21. victoria and the rogue - meg cabot 22. nowhere but here - katie mcgarry 23. say you’ll remember me - katie mcgarry 24. in search of us - ava dellaira 25. what’s eating gilbert grape - peter hedges 26. roomies - christina lauren 27. flowers in the attic - v.c. andrews 28. the smallest part - amy harmon 29. petals on the wind - v.c. andrews 30. starry eyes - jenn bennett 31. educating caroline - patricia cabot 32. columbine - dave cullen 33. undead girl gang - lily anderson 34. love & luck - jenna evans welch 35. always never yours - emily wibberley 36. listen to your heart - kasie west 37. the kiss quotient - helen hoang 38. save the date - morgan matson 39. an ember in the ashes - sabaa tahir 40. the secret history - donna tartt 41. the fragile ordinary - samantha young 42. of mice and men - john steinbeck 43. sharp objects - gillian flynn 44. cry baby - ginger scott 45. playing with matches - hannah orenstein 46. cold mountain - charles frazier 47. meet the sky - mccall hoyle 48. josh and hazel’s guide to not dating - christina lauren 49. the impossibility of us - katy upperman 50. the sea of tranquility - katja millay 51. i’ll give you the sun - jandy nelson 52. love and other words - christina lauren 53. one day in december - josie silver 54. daughter of the pirate king - tricia levenseller 55. north and south - elizabeth gaskell 56. the hating game - sally thorne 57. where the crawdads sing - delia owens 58. 59. 60.

0 notes

fullscoreshenanigans · 9 months ago

Note

I have the headcanon that Leslie lived until 11, even if he had not super good scores, because he was a little genius of music.

Not everyone can create a song, not everyone can learn super quickly to play a music. I don't remember which song he wanted to learn before his deparature, but i think that it was a difficult one (we don't see him train a lot in the story too) and he plays it before going to the gate, without any partition to help him and without doing any mistake.

I headcanon that she demons keep all the little genius, even if they not have good scores and are genius in other ways, because they think that it worth to keep them.

A kid has not good scores but it a genius with drawing and creates super beautiful things? It's worth to keep him until the age limit.

Leslie is super good in music, learn quickly song and has not need of a partition when he plays? it's worth to wait until he's 11 (close of 12). It could also be a kid who has a beautiful voice ansd sings super well for exemple.

etc....

Norman was a genius in studies and stuff so they keep him beyond 12 by sending him to lambda but people can be genius in other ways that in studies. A genius can be super good in something but kinda bad in another things.

I feel like this is essentially canon, no?

The only birthdays mentioned in "The Starry Sky and Leslie’s List" are Isabella's twelfth birthday and Ray's sixth birthday, so contrary to what the wiki currently says, it doesn't look like Leslie was shipped out exactly on his twelfth since they don't celebrate or even mention it.

(Leslie's page on the TPN Wiki | TPN Light Novel 2: Moms’ Song of Remembrance - “The Starry Sky and Leslie’s List” Chapter 1)

They are among the oldest though since Isabella turns twelve within a year of his shipment while not being physically able to jump atop the wall as we see her do in chapter 37/S1 episode 12 yet due to the sprained ankle she sustains over the course of the light novel, in addition to spending weeks to months writing him letters that never received a response and what finalized her decision to make the jump in the first place.

(TPN Light Novel 2: Moms’ Song of Remembrance - “The Starry Sky and Leslie’s List” Chapter 8 | Chapter 9)

But it's still soon enough that she discovers the truth of the house during the night of the first snowfall of the year, which could be anywhere from late October 2025 to January 2026 (since the full score trio deduces in chapter 5 that Grace Field is located in [the demon world equivalent of] the northern hemisphere, in addition to "The Guiding Star" short story mentioning them planning on using Polaris to find each other again after they go off to foster homes, winter would be during this time of the year).

I'm inclined to go with January 2026 since we don't see snow on the night of January 15, 2046, and also because I feel there's some poignancy in what would have been Leslie's twelfth birthday month getting to Isabella as the final push to make her seek him out. He surely would have written her in response to the birthday wishes she mailed him. (This is also why I feel his shipment was after September 9, 2025 because him not sending her any birthday well wishes would have tipped her off sooner, too).

(TPN Light Novel 2: Moms’ Song of Remembrance - “The Starry Sky and Leslie’s List” Chapter 9)

This could be an oddity in the translation, but Isabella also mentions how her her twelfth birthday was close enough that they could mark it on the calendar while the snow was piling up outside. Assuming they put up a new calendar at the start of January, she discovered the truth only in 2026, and then spent over half a year trying to come up with some sort of plan to escape (and isn't there a wealth of potential there, thinking of the adversarial atmosphere between her and Sarah during those few months and how that would be replicated in the next generation between her and Ray, although not 1:1.)

I don't remember which song he wanted to learn before his departure, but i think that it was a difficult one (we don't see him train a lot in the story too) and he plays it before going to the gate, without any partition to help him and without doing any mistake.

He learned to play Nocturne No.2! Though c72684, who translated the light novel, wasn't entirely certain the larger body of work it belonged to.

(TPN Light Novel 2: Moms’ Song of Remembrance - “The Starry Sky and Leslie’s List” Chapter 2)

30 notes · View notes

fullscoreshenanigans · 9 months ago

Text

(Original Post)

@anulithots Ray's lack of infantile amnesia being the result of epigenetics is an interesting and tragic thought.

This is also one of the reasons the farm system seems ill-thought out to me from a purely pragmatic standpoint.

The demons have to have an understanding of this after breeding humans for roughly a thousand years and learning of the differences between demon and human genetic make-ups, on top of Ray making a point to cite how humans are influenced by their environment to back-up his reasoning about why they won't increase security if Norman ran away to avoid being shipped out. (To say nothing of how Isabella probably pettily considered this when thinking about shipping Ray at some point.)

Living in the kind of brutal environment that headquarters is for a decade would fundamentally change a person on some level, and we're shown the toll it takes on Isabella despite the iron woman persona she's built up.

(Chapter 181.3 | Minerva Confidential Report from the S1 Blu-ray | S1 Episode 12 | TPN Light Novel 2: Moms’ Song of Remembrance - “The Starry Sky and Leslie’s List” Chapter 9)

So I question why at least when the candidates are pregnant the demons wouldn't want to offer better treatment and incentives to them, or at least a mention of this by humans or demons directly involved with farm management questioning it before being told by those higher in the chain of command that it's unavoidable; they're working within the confines of the time and resources they've given, or whatever reasoning they provide while the upholding of the status quo so the demon royalty can maintain their authority over the general populace can continue.

#like I just need an in-universe acknowledgment of this and I'd be fine #same thing with why the kids still have their identification tattoos in the human world that I talked about in another post #moving to a separate post because I don't feel comfortable discussing fandom stuff on posts dealing with real-life tragedies #anulithots #The Promised Neverland #Yakusoku no Neverland #TPN #FSS Chatter #Farm System #Minerva Confidential Report #Pre-Canon #TPN Light Novels #Moms' Song of Remembrance #The Starry Sky and Leslie's List #TPN 181.3 #Escape Arc #TPN 027 #TPN Ray #TPN Isabella #Ray #Isabella #Isabella and Ray's Incredibly Fraught and Complicated Relationship Tag #I've seen Krone's light novel story/bonus chapter cited as doing more harm than good #for focusing on how dystopically brutal HQ live is that you question how any of those kids made it to adulthood #and had children as emotionally stable as they do at all #one of the multiple allowances one has to grant the series for Shirai to explore the themes he wants to focus on #like Ray lacking infantile amnesia and having the mental fortitude to deal with their reality at six lol #Long Post

19 notes · View notes

fullscoreshenanigans · 1 month ago

Note

Regarding Isabella and Ray...

Hypothetically speaking- what would have happened had Isabella figured out Ray was her child by herself?? As in Ray never puts Isabella to test (mostly by some hand waivy excuse of him overhearing something she said/ some conversation she had when he was in the womb) and never approaches her to act as her traitor/ dog, but Isabella still somehow figures out his origins.

Would her approach to Ray remain the same? Especially since she isn't aware that he KNOWS the truth. Would she still take that hands off approach with him?? (Would her resentment pile up even more?)

I don't think there would be much difference if Ray still has a lack of infantile amnesia, but he'd at least have a reason readily available for why she would treat him differently from the other children.

Even if he did have it, he'd probably still pick up on all the minute ways she held disdain for him—in brief emotionless gazes he'd catch out of the corner of his eye directed at him‚ the slightest hint of hesitation she'd express at him attempting to share his interests with her compared to the other children in her charge‚ to her purposely being more affectionate toward Emma and Norman in front of him.

(TPN Light Novel 2: Moms’ Song of Remembrance - “The Starry Sky and Leslie’s List” Chapter 9; an unreliable narrator in order to maintain the cognitive dissonance that allowed her to face the monotony of each day and live longer than anyone)

A living, breathing reminder of one of the most traumatic experiences she endured at headquarters who reminded her of herself in so many ways.

(Chapter 177)

"I couldn't dote on you" because every time she let that affection for him surface, it was like she was conceding more of herself than she already had to the farm system, and she just couldn't bring herself to let that go while they both lived under the oppression of Grace Field.

4 notes · View notes

fullscoreshenanigans · 1 year ago

Note

Hello!! I'm really sorry, but could you do a summary of the Krone and Isabella light novels? I can't find anywhere to read them. thank you so much!!

No need to apologize, happy to help!

I've talked about the contents of the first light novel here. Almost all of it is available either translated in text or via sound dramas with English subtitles. The exception is the "NER in Bird Cages" story, which is only available in English as a summary.

I've provided a general overview of the second light novel here, as well a link to the masterlist of TPN content for the English-speaking fandom. The first half is dedicated to Isabella, and the second half to Krone, though if you've read chapter 181.2, you'll already be familiar with most of it.

If one of the stories is part of the content of a post, I'll usually tag it as light novels, the title of the light novel in question, and the title of the specific story. (e.g., TPN Light Novels + Moms' Song of Remembrance + The Starry Sky and Leslie's List)

Here's all the light novels laid out with their story tags (with the exception of the fourth one because I've only read the half that's translated):

Light Novel 1: A Letter from Norman

• "The Ghost Incidents at Grace Field House" - Norman reminiscences about his earliest memory with Emma and Ray, when they were about three or four, trying to solve the mystery of the spooky occurrences around the house. • "The Day Emma Cried" - Norman recalls an incident when he was about seven and became terribly ill retrieving Emma’s handkerchief during a rainstorm. Thinking he’s on death’s doorstep, with Isabella’s permission (to both appease Emma and test Ray’s loyalty), Emma and Ray go out to find the miracle cure, a white flower that only blooms at night. • "NER in Bird Cages" - Norman muses how he's never seen Ray cry before he remembers the incident where they rescued an injured bird sometime after Emma's ninth birthday. Ray deals with the grief of not being able to save his beloved older sister, Susan, if he wants to save Emma's and Norman's lives. • "A Gift from the 39th Girl" - The Grace Field kids secretly work on putting together a gift for Norman’s eleventh birthday.

Light Novel 2: Moms' Song of Remembrance

• "The Starry Sky and Leslie's List" - Isabella's story where she remembers helping Leslie with a list of goals he set out to accomplish over the course of two days before he's shipped out. She also reflects on her relationships with Ray and Sarah. • "Searching for the Skies of Freedom" - Krone's story; chapter 181.2 is a retelling of this.

Light Novel 3: Records of Comrades

• "Two Paths" - The story of how Lucas and Yuugo's group acquired the tea set we see Yuugo with in the bunker, interspersed with scenes of Lucas interacting with Emma and Yuugo interacting with Ray during the present timeline. • "Two Wills" - Gillian and Nigel's story of their earlier days at Goldy Pond when they both lost their sisters, Lala and Emilia. • "Two Destinies" - The story of how Mujika and Sonju met and how Leuvis inadvertently ended the farm system and thousand-year promise because he was bored.

Light Novel 4: Films of Memories

• "The Days to Celebrate" • "Operation Stormy Night" - The Grace Field children reminiscence about the night their older siblings helped them feel safe during a particularly bad storm. • "Ray and Conny" - The Grace Field kids are telling Emma about their life at Grace Field house when Conny comes up. Ray recalls to himself how he helped three-year-old Conny adjust to sleeping in the larger shared bedrooms with some indirect help from Susan. It's a story only he and Norman know now. • "The Chess Proverb" - Ray teaches Norman how to play chess, and Emma and Norman join in a match with Ray against Isabella. Serves as a metaphor for how each of them approaches a problem and how they balance each other out when they work together. • "Don and Gilda" • "The Guiding Star" - The story that explains how the trio got on the roof for the chapter 119 cover art and the comfort they each draw from the stars.

Finally, here's my general tag navigation page that's hopefully accessible on mobile as well as desktop.

#if not ig I'll have to make an actual post instead #been meaning to do that for all my short-form essay posts/longer responses #in the event people want have an easier time sorting through those without having to scroll through the entire FSS Chatter tag #FSS Asks #FSS Chatter #The Promised Neverland #TPN Light Novels #A Letter from Norman #Moms' Song of Remembrance #The Starry Sky and Leslie's List #Searching for the Skies of Freedom #TPN 181.2 #Records of Comrades #Films of Memories #The Guiding Star #TPN Isabella #TPN Krone #Long Post #TPN 119 #The Chess Proverb #The Ghost Incidents at Grace Field House #The Day Emma Cried #NER in Bird Cages #A Gift from the 39th Girl #TPN Two Paths #TPN Two Wills #TPN Two Destinies #TPN Ray and Conny (Light Novel Story)#probably ended up being way longer of an answer than you wanted anon my bad

31 notes · View notes

fullscoreshenanigans · 1 year ago

Note

You know I think about Ray and Isabella relationship and i just think…

What could have she do? She couldn't save him. He was a boy, he didn't have a chance to escape death as Emma. He was smart so he could live until 12 years old but she couldn't give him more time.

His choice to reveals himself was incredibly risky. She was already deeply attached to him, but she managed to keep her facade after few second of absolute horror at the realisation that her former mum gave her... her how own child to raise to slaugher. Not only that but he revealed that he knows the truth of the orphenage.

Any other mother would have shipp him immediately. But Isabella didn't. Maybe because it was HER son, maybe because she didn't want to shipp a child before it was "time" for them (and because Ray was so smart…). After all, the manga shows that she is determined to make her children as smart that possible so they would have as much time that possible. Even if she couldn't save anyone. Because she couldn't do anything. She could just love them as much that possible and help them to survive as long that possible. She couldn't have them, except few girls, maybe. Has She refused, she would have been the one to be shipped and another mum would have take over and i doubt that Ray would have been able to make a deal with this new one.

Or maybe the deal gaves her a good excuse to NOT shipp him. Maybe because she truly cared, or maybe also because it was beneficial for her. (i'm not sure that she would have make the deal with another child)

But those 6 years after the revelation have been hard for her, she tried to keep her distance, to not love him but failed because like she says when she died "i love you so much". She TRIED to not love him, to not getting too attached, but failed (after all she keeps memories of all the kids that she has shipped because she loved them). It must have been exhausting for her even if she didn't have to fake with him. maybe except the fact that she still loved him.

But what if she had reacted differently? We sees in Ray one-shot that Ray hoped that she was their ally. He was desesperate to know/learnthat she had no choice, that she was on their side, as much prisoner than them, but she didn't answer like he hoped.

But what if she had been honest "I didn't want to die Ray" It's difference of "I wanted to survive as long than possible". Because Ray didn't want to die neither, he understands that feeling.

But then It would have been 6 exhausting years. both know, both care for each other and KNOW about the…deadline for Ray.

If they had planned the escape together?

Well Isabelle had still to shipp kids. Or she would be killed and replaced and the new one wouldn't be on their side. Ray would understand, he would know that there are no other choice for her than obey. That anything could ruin the plan that they create together. But it would still hurt a lot.

I don't know how Isabella would act in the "6 first volumes" before the escape. would she act the same (except with Ray) out of act because she doesn't want the headquarter to be suspicious? ('I'm sure that the mothers are monitored a lot to be sure that they don't do anything strange)

Loving each other would have give Ray maayybbe more fears and anxiety. Because all depent of if Isabella would tell him about the chip. If she tells him, then he knows that she will be unable to run away with them. And this escape would mean death for her. The guilt, the anxiety and he would be so bitter after the escape. He would NEVER forgive to the Ratri Clan and would be a lot bitter toward demons. (for being fair it's not Isabella who shipped Norman, it's Peter and the queen who wanted to send him to lambda to not give him to the demon god). Or maybe he would try to create a device for the ship like he did one for the tracker? But would fail because it's too difficult seen where the chip is. If she don't tell him. Ho boy. Realizing it the day of the escape would absolutly destroy him. At least he would't try to burn himself in this universe?

(in this universe, Isabella can't die, ok XD)

Not sure if you sent this ask a while back, but I'll plagiarize myself from there because the sentiment hasn't changed for this topic:

Yeeeeesss I repeatedly come back to how utterly fraught Isabella and Ray’s relationship is because it’s one of the things that lingered with me the most after binging S1 and still does, even almost two years later. She’s one of greyest characters in the series when it comes to the morality behind her actions and motives, and I always think it’s interesting how different people interpret them.

And with the amount of focus it gets in fandom it's clear a lot of people share it lol (and, while obviously not representative of the fandom in its entirety for a multitude of reasons, probably contributes to why she led this poll by a significant margin.)

Or maybe the deal gaves her a good excuse to NOT ship him. Maybe because she truly cared, or maybe also because it was beneficial for her. (i'm not sure that she would have make the deal with another child)

While there’s an entire additional dimension to the relationship in Ray being the child to make the deal with her, she’d probably make a deal with any child if the benefits outweighed the risks, assuming the child approached her in the same manner (alone in private as opposed to hinting at something in front of other children), they seemed capable of keeping the secret and were willing to do so, and their test scores were high enough that they were going to be around until their twelfth birthday anyway so she wouldn’t have to resort to anything suspicious to protect them from early selection. (I’m personally inclined to include “breaking up the monotony that is dedicating almost all your time to raising young children in near-complete isolation with minimal interaction with other adults” as a benefit. Not the main deciding one because her bottom line is always how to maintain her position and product quality, but a huge bonus.) She could easily fall back on them having tremendous potential. Not to the same level as Norman, and maybe not even to the same level as Emma and Ray, but at minimum around Don’s, Gilda’s, or Phil’s.

His choice to reveal himself was incredibly risky. She was already deeply attached to him, but she managed to keep her facade after few second of absolute horror at the realisation that her former mum gave her... her own child to raise to slaughter. Not only that but he revealed that he knows the truth of the orphanage.Any other mother would have shipp him immediately. But Isabella didn't. Maybe because it was HER son, maybe because she didn't want to ship a child before it was "time" for them (and because Ray was so smart…). After all, the manga shows that she is determined to make her children as smart that possible so they would have as much time that possible. Even if she couldn't save anyone. Because she couldn't do anything. She could just love them as much that possible and help them to survive as long that possible. She couldn't have them, except few girls, maybe. Has She refused, she would have been the one to be shipped and another mum would have take over and i doubt that Ray would have been able to make a deal with this new one.

It’s interesting to me when people frame her rationalization like this, not because I disagree with it, but because of how often characters in this series will lie to themselves as a means of self-protection in order to keep operating in the way they are, it feels like a half-truth.

(TPN Exhibition Interview December 2020)

Shirai himself considers Isabella “a poor person,” not solely in the sense of her situation being pitiable (because it is), but also in the presentation of her motives to herself as selfless for so long before Ray prompted her to confess her more selfish ones in what’s probably the only moment of complete honesty he ever had with her at Grace Field.

(TPN Light Novel 2: Moms’ Song of Remembrance - “The Starry Sky and Leslie’s List”)

Especially when at one point she was vehemently against the thought of framing the way the Moms operated as true love.

It’s left up to the audience to decide how selfish those motives actually are given the circumstances she finds herself in. If it’s negligible because what could she genuinely do on her own, combined with not wanting to die being a natural human desire; if they’re more tolerable if she doesn’t discount her own desire to avoid death as just as powerful of a motivator or pretend she’s being entirely noble in what she does; if that doesn’t matter because she’s still repeatedly making the decision that her life is worth extending more than the children she puts up for slaughter or that her children’s test scores are what’s most indicative of her being more qualified than the other Moms.

For me, the sticking point is always her treatment of Ray and how she called him a dog directly to his face.

(S1 Episode 8)

There’s some delight in throwing him off balance, in reminding him of the power she has over him, especially when even if he knew she did eventually intend to ship him out when he turned twelve (because he wouldn’t let himself dare hope she had changed her mind since their meeting at the wall when it was so devastating to see her unable to tell him she can’t kill him.)

(Chapter 181.1)

He was still so confident she wouldn’t abandon him in the way that she does, his declaration to Norman earlier in chapter 14/episode 5 one of genuine belief rather than a false front.

(Ignoring how horrific it is he’s expressing his value to her as one of her finest products in conjunction with his anguished declaration of humanity on the eve of his next birthday.)

(S1 Episode 8)

The way she smiles at his futile attempt to slow her down during the attempted wall inspection, seeing him lose at their battle of masks as he lunges at her in desperation while she still maintains control of the situation.

(S1 Episode 10)

Or when he’s languishing in the library, distraught after Norman is shipped out (which is stated to be part of an act, but only in that he hadn’t abandoned his plan entirely; the mourning is real).

You could argue that she’s expressing contentment at how the system can remain intact so the other Grace Field children are still able to live ignorant and blissful lives until their shipment dates, that her five oldest children haven’t ruined that for them, but given how it’s Ray specifically in this scene she’s looking at before turning away, I’m inclined to disagree, or at least that it’s solely a selfless (if warped) stance.

Those smiles are only for herself.

To quote myself in another post:

I continue to debate how much of her maintaining her deal with Ray was strictly for pragmatic reasons and how much was due to wanting to keep him close out of some painfully complicated mess of emotions that was constantly oscillating between a tainted affection and spiteful hatred. Any time she would find herself falling into the former, forgetting the circumstances of their relationship, him being the living, breathing reminder of one of the worst things HQ forced her to endure would resurface and how they chose to put him in her plant as if to silently mock her and unknowingly rub in how pitiful the life of a Mom would always be under this system. To openly love him would be one step further in giving in than she’d already done by accepting the Mom position and loving all the other cattle children she raised for slaughter, and she hated to give that much more of herself than she already had when she wasn’t aware of his origins. So she would dutifully do what was tasked of her, but on her terms, as petty as they were. Deep down, she probably knew the significance of this would largely go unrealized by those she intended to get back at, and yet when one is forced to live such a routine, mundane life under the thumb of such a system, knowing there are humans out there who live lives freely without having to make any similar sacrifices, it eats at a person. So she took it out on the only other person in the house who had an inkling of the true hell they lived in. Never directly in the form of physical abuse or boorish spoken threats because the former would be counterproductive and the latter lacked the perceived elegance she’d cultivated about herself, but in the form of emotional neglect by withholding affection and regularly keeping him off-kilter with the choice of words she did use. Not constantly, because him being perpetually fearful would render his services useless, but enough to keep him on his toes while still lulling him into some semblance of security to explain his confidence in his exchange with Norman when it’s revealed he’s the traitor.

I do believe that she loved him, but during their time at Grace Field together there was also a part of her that saw loving him as an act of further giving into the demons after how much they’d already demeaned her. A constant balance of some part of her wanting to keep him close yet not being able to bear it, always maintaining a distance and a professional, clinical air about their arrangement.

And I do agree Ray likely wouldn’t have been able to make a deal with another Mom. He was lucky he ended up with Isabella, not because of their biological connection, but her priorities.

(Chapter 22)

What’s ironic is the one memento that survived Grace Field and made its way to her was the only one she didn’t give to a child herself.

(Chapter 181.3)

Somehow his note made its way to her, and she kept it safe, even considered it a treasure.

While still under the oppressive air of headquarters, she had a bit more freedom as Grandma. Combined with the thought of “distance makes the heart grow fonder,” I believe the pain she associated with Ray lessened as she reflected on her mistreatment of him. Maybe now she could admit to herself she did love him without it being followed by an ache in her heart.

(Chapter 174)

She had made peace with the idea of him never forgiving her for the cruelty she inflicted on him and shipping off so many children over the years and is genuinely shocked when he tells her to expedite her self-pitying so they can get a move on to the human world. I don’t think he completely forgave her either because that kind of trauma etches itself deep into one’s bones and psyche, but he could recognize the suffering she endured under the farm system, and for the sake of everyone else present, he was willing to make an attempt.

(Chapter 177)

“I couldn’t dote on you” meaning not that she physically couldn’t, but that she couldn’t mentally dissociate him from her own trauma and that’s what led to her perpetuating the cycle and reinforcing this distance between them.

For his part, he mourns the loss of what could have been. How, in another life, they could have had a normal, loving mother-son relationship. Something that as much as he might try to deny it after everything with how foolish it could sound, was something he wished for deep in his heart. How now any opportunity at mending their actual relationship, of her making a long-term, concerted effort to repair it was gone. How he was left to pick up the pieces.

If they had planned the escape together? Well Isabelle had still to ship kids. Or she would be killed and replaced and the new one wouldn't be on their side. Ray would understand, he would know that there are no other choice for her than obey. That anything could ruin the plan that they create together. But it would still hurt a lot.

I agree that he would understand while also accepting the ire his siblings may have for him or her.

(S1 Episode 5)

Like he does in canon when he’s shocked at how perceptive Emma is regarding his experiments on the tracking devices but makes no attempt at an excuse or justification for it, or when he’s willing to poison his relationship with Emma and Norman and cause them to push him away if it meant they’d live beyond their twelfth birthdays.

I feel like Don would take Conny’s death worse if he knew Ray was working with Isabella in a more relaxed context. Even with the knowledge of the regular bimonthly shipments that need to occur in order to avoid suspicion, and even afterward feeling awful about thinking of sacrificing one sibling for another, a part of him might have wished for Ray to have some influence that would have spared her.

In a similar vein, I think the kids would be even more livid over Norman being shipped out, assuming Isabella still doesn’t tell them he’s not actually dead. Maybe. He’s at least alive when he leaves, but maybe if she knows anything about Lambda she figures he’s essentially received a death sentence that’s staved off for a bit. Still, it would probably feel like a betrayal.

Beyond ensuring regular shipments go out and a decent variety of test scores are maintained, I don’t think Moms are monitored any more closely than the way the Moms monitor the kids in their plants with the crude trackers. There’s an awareness of the general going-ons of the plants without the specifics via the daily reports, and if they need to know their exact location on the plant they can look it up, but the assumption is that if you’ve made it to the Mom position you’ve fully bought into the farm system and believe there is no better option for you or the children in your charge.

(TPN Light Novel 2: Moms’ Song of Remembrance - “Searching for the Skies of Freedom”)

Headquarters sowed seeds of distrust even further with the culling of Sister candidates and how some skills were only taught to Sisters who retrained if they couldn’t secure a position at one of the plants. The better to keep them stratified and make it more difficult to dismantle the system (because the electronic chips next to their hearts wasn’t enough lol)

(Chapter 23)

But even in light of all that, as a full scorer who became the youngest Mom in Grace Field’s history, Isabella had Sarah’s favor long before Krone arrived. She was willing to look the other way when Krone presented her with Ray’s note as evidence the five eldest children knew the secret, and we never hear of any issues arising from the rewards Isabella acquires for Ray.

So they’re monitored, but a lot of it is self-monitoring.

Loving each other would have give Ray maayybbe more fears and anxiety. Because all depent of if Isabella would tell him about the chip. If she tells him, then he knows that she will be unable to run away with them. And this escape would mean death for her. The guilt, the anxiety and he would be so bitter after the escape. He would NEVER forgive to the Ratri Clan and would be a lot bitter toward demons. (for being fair it's not Isabella who shipped Norman, it's Peter and the queen who wanted to send him to Lambda to not give him to the demon god). Or maybe he would try to create a device for the chip like he did one for the tracker? But would fail because it's too difficult seen where the chip is. If she don't tell him. Ho boy. Realizing it the day of the escape would absolutely destroy him. At least he wouldn’t try to burn himself in this universe?

Even if she explains the existence of Lambda to the kids, I still feel Norman’s shipment would be a sticking point for them, either knowing what he was going to go through or because of the uncertainty of what he would have to endure. Like there was something she didn’t try, even if it wasn’t true. That would be a dramatic time to drop the knowledge about the electronic chips though as part of an explanation for why the escape date can’t be bumped up, if she didn’t tell them before.

(in this universe, Isabella can't die, ok XD)

I am also anti Isabella dying after how rushed her reconciliation and death were in canon lol

29 notes · View notes